The Witch
by DaPsionicFox
Summary: A witch. That's all they knew me as. That's all I'll ever be known as. A witch that destroys. But it's not my fault. It's not my fault that I can't control the power I was cursed with. I can't do anything about it. All I can do is hope that I find the one place where I can stay.
1. Shipwrecked

**Okay. I knew I once wrote a fanfiction on this game that turned out to be a failure, but I decided I'll try again. Well, at least I hope this one will be better. Enjoy.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Shipwrecked  
**

 _Lightning flashed across the sky as the rain fell violently. The waves threw the boat around as I struggled to stay on. This was the worst case scenario. I was literally in the middle of nowhere and it seems like I might not make it out alive. No, correction, I won't make it out alive. I've always been ready to die at a moment's notice, and this situation was no exception._

 _Thunder rumbled above me, and the next instant, I saw a huge wave heading towards me. This is it. There's no way I can survive something like that. I closed my eyes and mentally prepared for the end. A moment later, I heard the violent crash and the snapping sound of the boat breaking apart as I became soaked. After that, everything went silent._

* * *

"Hey! Are you okay?"

Warmth spread across my body as I felt the sun shining down on me. To my right, I heard the sound of crashing waves. The ground beneath me felt coarse and gritty. My long, black hair still felt drenched. It took my brain a while to register that I'm lying on a beach.

The beach. That was one place I absolutely love. I spent most of my life inland, so I never got a lot of chances to go. It seemed like a nice one, from the feel of it. But if I landed in a place like this after going through a violent storm, that most likely means I'm dead, because this is too good to be true.

"Can you hear me? Wake up!"

I then realized that I was hearing a voice… in front of me. I slowly opened my eyes and through my blurry vision, I saw someone standing over me. But I couldn't open my eyes any further as I was blinded by the sudden sunlight. I raised my hand over my face to shade myself as my vision went into focus. Standing over me was a boy. Okay, maybe I wasn't dead after all.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked.

"Yeah… I think…" I answered, but then I felt pain through my body. "Actually, no, I'm aching everywhere…"

I slowly sat up and took in my surroundings as I was indeed lying on a beach.

"What happened to you?" the boy asked. "You look like you just got washed ashore."

I finally got a good look at the boy talking to me. He seems to be a little younger than me, and he has blonde hair that stuck up on one area of his head. He wore blue shorts and a red and yellow-striped T-shirt. He also wore a pair of orange shoes. I wasn't sure whether he was a native here or if he was just passing by, but he seemed worried about me.

I took a moment to try to collect my thoughts to answer the boy's question. "I… was on a boat… And the boat was smashed apart by a storm… and the next thing I know… Everything went black. And then I woke up here…"

"You were out on the sea?"

"I guess you can say that."

"What were you doing out there?"

I took another moment to gather my thoughts. "I… was looking for a place to stay…"

"You don't have a home?"

I wasn't sure how to answer that question. "No… I guess not."

"Maybe you can stay here for a little while."

Wow. That was fast. But since there are humans living here, this place isn't possible for me to live in.

"No… it's fine. I'll just find a place on my own."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure…"

I started to stand up, but then pain shot through my leg. "Ow!"

The boy gave me an incredulous look. "Well, you can't find a place on your own like this. Here, let's treat those wounds."

Frick. Why'd I have to get hurt so bad in the first place? I guess that's another example of my bad luck.

The boy seemed to raise his hand slightly, but then he hesitated and instead he helped me up.

"By the way, what's your name?" the boy asked.

"Jenny," I answered automatically. "You?"

"I'm Lucas."

"Where is this, anyway?"

"This is Tazmily Village. We're in the Cerulean Beach."

"The what village and the where now?"

"Oh, you don't know Tazmily Village… Well, that's normal. Not a lot of people know this village exists. Anyway, I'll take you to the Yado Inn so you can be treated."

I would've refused again, but this kid seems like he was just trying to be nice, so I couldn't say no. As he took me into the village, I got a good look around the place, while wondering where each path goes. It just looked like a... very simple village with no technology. Technology or no technology, I know I needed to leave as soon as possible. We eventually came upon the inn where I was taken to one of the rooms to get patched up. Lucas left me there.

"There you go," the innkeeper, Tessie, said as she finished bandaging me.

"Thanks," I said. "How much do I owe you?"

I had brought some money on my journey in case if I needed to stop by a convenience store or anything. But when I reached into my inventory, I froze in horror as I realized that all the money I was carrying is gone. Dammit. Must've lost em' in the storm. But then again, I always have the worst luck, so I shouldn't be that surprised about losing my money.

"We aren't charging anything at this inn anymore," Tessie said.

"I-is that so? Thanks," I said.

Anymore? So they used to charge you here? Oh well, either way, it works for me, since I lost all my money.

"Um… can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Yes?" Tessie asked.

"Where does Lucas live?"

"When you leave the inn, there will be a path in front of you. Lucas lives in the house down that path. But why do you ask?"

"I need to go properly thank him."

I then got up and left the inn. I followed the path down to a peninsula, and at the end of the peninsula was a house. There was a sheep house next to it. When I got closer to the house, I saw Lucas playing with a brown dog on the path. The dog noticed me and started barking.

"Oh, hi Jenny," Lucas greeted when he saw me.

"Hey," I greeted back. "I just wanted to say thanks. I haven't met a kid as kind as you, but thank you for all the help you've given me, even though you don't know me. I'll be going now."

"Where are you gonna go? There isn't any other place to stay outside the village. Why don't you wanna stay here?"

I hesitated. I can't tell him that I have these freakish powers that I have no control over. He's gonna think I'm crazy just like everyone does. And then when he finds out about it, he's gonna to hate me just because I can use them. And every single time it goes used, it ends up destroying anything around me because I can't control it. If I stay here for too long, I'm gonna end up destroying the whole village.

"I'll figure something out," I said finally. I hope, at least.

"Well, if that's what you want, then I can't stop you," Lucas said. "Do you want me to help you pack a few things at least?"

"If that's okay with you, then yes."

I feel kinda bad that I'm not doing anything for him, but I need to get out of here before this place is reduced to ruins. Anyway, I followed him into his house and it was just a simple one-room house. I was not expecting that. There was no one else in the house. I looked around the room and what caught my interest was the two double beds in the back. But I pushed my thoughts aside.

"If I were to leave, where would I go?" I asked.

"You would go up north to the Cross Road, and then go west into the Sunshine Forest," Lucas answered. "The north leads to the ruined Osohe Castle, but there's nowhere to go from there. The east leads to the Candrum Underpass, but the entrance collapsed, which leaves the Sunshine Forest in the west. But I'm out of Antidotes. When you go to the forest, make sure you stop by Isaac's place for some."

"Antidotes?" I repeated.

"I hope you can defend yourself at least a little. There are usually a lot of Mighty Bitey Snakes in the forest, and they can poison you."

Shit. "Okay, I'm staying."

Lucas looked at me in surprise. "Huh? Earlier you really didn't wanna stay, and now you wanna?"

"Yeah…" I sighed.

"You sure change your mind fast… Anyway, you can stay at the Yado Inn for the night."

"Okay."

This is just great. Why does the forest have to have snakes? That's the one thing I'm really scared of. And I can't even defend myself in a fight. I have no experience in that field. Well, we'll see how long I'll last before I blow this place up by accident. And when they find out about my powers, I'll have to leave… again. Well, I guess I'll just have to make the best of this stay. What're the odds of finding another place like this?

"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked.

"No," Lucas answered. "It's okay. I'll handle things on my own."

"On your own?"

"I've been alone for the past four years, looking after myself. I'm used to it now."

"What about your parents? Aren't they around?"

Lucas seemed to hesitate a little. "My mother is gone."

I shouldn't have probed into his business like that. "I'm sorry I asked."

"It's okay. I haven't had someone to talk to for a while."

Come to think of it, he does look kinda lonely. Could that be why he came to me on the beach, even though I'm a total stranger?

"Well if it's okay if I ask, then what about your father?" I asked.

Lucas was silent for a moment before he started talking. "… He spends his time at Mom's grave. He only comes back every once in a while."

At this point I don't even know what to say. "I… see…"

"What about you? Why are you looking for a home by yourself?"

I hesitated. "I wanted to live somewhere else for a change."

I really hate to lie to him, but I have to keep my powers a secret.

"So you set out alone for that?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "But since I drifted here because of a storm destroying my boat, I dunno where this is."

"I've never left this island, so I can't really help you. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I don't wanna go back anyway. For right now, I'll go outside and take a walk."

"Okay. See you later."

I leave the house and head back towards the Yado Inn. I noticed that the area around it is the square. There was a nice-looking well at the very center. One of the houses was called the Thomas Bazaar. I took the time to see it. There wasn't anything advanced in there, and you don't have to pay to get the stuff. I then remembered Tessie's words. They used to charge things here, but not anymore. I wondered why not anymore, but I won't be able to know anything unless I ask around.

I went back to the beach where I was found. Near it was a tent, and I assumed somebody lived in there, but I didn't bother to look. I then saw the village jail, and it just looked like it was abandoned or something. I went further down the western road and there was more to the beach than I had thought. Near it were more houses. I then turned back and decided to take the eastern road. There were more houses and a farm there.

I went north to the Cross Road. Looking to my right was a collapsed tunnel entrance. I assumed this was the entrance to the Candrum Underpass that Lucas was talking about. Up ahead was a cemetery. I went to it and saw that it was called the Sunset Cemetery. Lucas had said there was a castle in the north of the Cross Road, but maybe it's further down. I headed straight down and saw a moat with the drawbridge lowered. I crossed it and saw a ruined castle. Okay, THERE it is. I investigated the pile of rubble and the only thing I found noteworthy was a piano buried under there, and it was still intact.

The piano. It was one of the many few things I was very passionate about. I used to take piano lessons a long time ago. That was before everyone knew about my powers. I thought I'd be a pro pianist in the future and I'd be going around kicking ass in competitions, but at this point, this whole piano thing is just a broken dream. Nowadays whenever I run into any piano at all, I'm reminded of my long-lost ambition. Oh well, the past is in the past, and there's nothing I can do to change it.

I went back to the cemetery and what caught my attention was a slope heading up towards a cliff to my left. I climbed it and saw two gravestones. A cowboy-looking man was there. I quietly walked up and read one of the tombstones:

 _Wife of Flint_

 _Mother of the twins Claus and Lucas_

 _Daughter of Alec_

 _May the beautiful Hinawa rest in peace here for all time._

Damn. His mother is gone like he said. And a twin brother? That explains why there was another double bed in the back of his house. I wonder where the brother is if I didn't see him at his house. The thought then crossed my mind that his brother is also dead. So I went ahead and read the other tombstone:

 _Older twin brother of Lucas_

 _Son of Flint and Hinawa_

 _Grandson of Alec_

 _May Claus rest in peace here for all time._

At this point, I wasn't even sure how to feel. Lucas lost both his mother and twin brother? Sounds like he's had a shit life. I can't guess how they both died, but I decided that I'd rather not know. I've never really had anyone close to me since everyone hates me, and my family just pretended like I didn't exist. Because of that, I tried not to get too close with people, as I knew I would be living in total isolation to prevent more accidental casualties. But even so, it was hard to do that. I really wanted some company, but I know that'll never happen.

After reading the graves, it had me reflecting on how I viewed life and death. I had little reason to live since I was shunned by the human population and I can't coexist with animals due to their unpredictable natures. Not only that, I possess a power that only destroys, and I have no control over it happening. When I ran away, I was always ready to die at a moment's notice, but at the same time, I knew I only had one life to spend, and I didn't wanna die in vain. If I were to die, I'd rather die fighting for what I've wanted. And I've never given up hope that I'd someday find the place where I can stay, if I keep on living. So I chose to bear the burden that tormented me for many years.

"Are you here to pay your respects too?" the cowboy-looking man asked.

"Huh? O-oh, yeah…" I said, snapping out of my thoughts. "Who are you?"

"I'm Flint. I lost both my wife and first son."

So that's his dad. "I'm sorry about that. My name is Jenny. I came here by mistake, and Lucas found me."

"Oh, so you met Lucas?"

"Yeah. He's already given me a lot of help."

"He's a good kid. He may not look like it, but he's very strong."

Lucas is strong? Well, if he's able to move on from two family deaths, then I can see what he means. But if he means physically strong, then I'd probably faint from shock if that was true. He looks like one of those sheltered boys, so maybe that's why I have a hard time believing that he's physically strong. No offense to you, Lucas.

"Well, I better get going now. It's been nice meeting you, Mr. Flint," I said.

Flint said nothing after that, so I just left him there to grieve alone. As I walked back to the village square, I had a better idea of the village. There was nothing advanced here. It just seems like one of those villages in the past before technology was introduced to the world. But it's kinda weird, because Tessie said that they used to have money in the village. That would usually imply that they had technology in the village. But I can't see how they would abandon their technology and return to a simple lifestyle.

I stayed in one of the rooms at the Yado Inn. As I sat down, a lot of things were going through my mind. Where exactly am I? How long was I out when I lost consciousness in that storm? When will be the next time my powers go out of control? And about this village… Is it really how it seems or am I just being paranoid? Why would they help out a complete stranger like me? And most importantly… will I ever be able to find a place to really stay put in? I've somehow managed to survive alone for all this time when I can't even defend myself.

My thoughts then went over to Lucas. I can't imagine how it feels to be in his shoes. I don't even think I have an inkling, because I never experienced that kind of loss before. The kind of loss I experienced was a sense of belonging. On the bright side, though, I got to see the world. Well, that aside, to a certain degree, I think I can relate with him. Given how he turned down my offer to help, I think he learned how to be independent because of his mother and brother's deaths. I myself learned how to be independent because after my life changed for the worse, nobody was there for me.

With the cursed power I have, I can't even live alongside any human beings since it's always the same thing over and over – my powers cause an explosion, I get called a witch and some try to kill me, forcing me to run. I can't even stay in a forest either, because I'm gonna eventually set it on fire by mistake. This has been going on for a long time and I'll never know when this nonsense will stop and why I was born this way. All I can do is just hope that I eventually find that one place where I can stay and not have to live a nomadic lifestyle. Good things come to those who wait, or so they say. With that, I went to bed, falling into a fitful sleep.


	2. Adaptation

**Chapter 2: Adaptation**

I sat on a bench in the square. I didn't know what to do next. I can't leave this place because the forest has snakes and that's one thing I'm scared of. And I don't wanna stick around this place for too long or else it'll become my next victim.

I stood up and went back to the beach where I was found. I would spend my time just watching the sea. I have no clue where I am and how far I've gone. I just hope it's somewhere far away where no one familiar could hear me… Um, wait, they can't even hear me to begin with… Where no one familiar could **find** me.

"Is something bothering you?"

Surprised, I look back to see Lucas standing a few feet behind me.

"No," I replied, turning back to stare at the sea. "Nothing's bothering me."

I can't tell him the truth.

"You've been looking at the sea for a while," Lucas said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah… Sometimes I just wonder what kind of things we haven't seen are down there," I replied.

Okay, that was a ridiculous lie. It was so bad that I felt ashamed for saying it.

"I've been under the sea before," Lucas said. "It's a pretty big place. Sometimes I wonder what else is down there too."

He's been under the sea before? Maybe he went swimming and only stayed near the shore.

"You've been under the sea before? What did you see?" I asked.

"Oh, I saw fish, Rock Lobsters, Rooooound Fishes, and Carefree Jellyfishes," Lucas replied.

That's very descriptive. "Oh, I see."

"There were even oxygen machines down there."

Whoa, hold it right there. "Oxygen machines?"

"Yeah, they helped me survive under the sea."

I turned around to face him. "What are… those oxygen machines you speak of?"

"They were male mermaids who give you oxygen."

"They **give** you oxygen? Not help you get it?"

"Yep."

I started to get a seriously bad feeling that I'm about to hear what I don't wanna hear. "Uh… How did they… give you oxygen?"

"Through mouth contact."

Kissing. Male mermaids, or mermen. Lucas gets oxygen from them by kissing. I was hoping it was something like they brought him up to the surface so he can breathe or something, but it was something that turned into nightmare fuel. I wish I never asked that question. Now I cannot unsee it. At least I never saw it in action, though.

"Is something wrong?" Lucas asked. "You look like you've seen something bad."

Well, he's not exactly right but he's also not wrong. "Please spare me of any further mental anguish from that image."

"What image?" Lucas was giving me an innocent look.

"Never mind." He probably doesn't know that what he told me was just disturbing, so I decided to change the topic to try to get the images out of my brain. "So how do you go around taking care of yourself here?"

"I go into the Sunshine Forest with Boney to gather food."

"That's the dog's name?"

"Yep."

I see. So he brings his dog to defend himself from the snakes.

"What's at the end of the forest?" I asked.

"The Oriander Mountains," Lucas replied. "My grandfather lives up there. I used to go visit him with my mom and brother. But even now, I still visit him, but I go alone."

"That's very kind of you. But anyway, what made you think something was bothering me?"

"Well… I just feel like you're trying to hide that you're sad. Even though you don't show much emotion."

Way to be blunt about how I appear on the outside. "What makes you think that I feel sad?"

"Well, whenever I see you in the village, you're all alone. You don't look very comfortable around people. And all you do is watch the sea from here."

"Are you worried about me?"

"Yeah. You looked confused when I was taking you into the village. You said you were from another island, so I thought that Tazmily Village was too different for you. And at first you wanted to leave. I thought you needed help."

I studied his expression. It didn't seem like he was trying to do anything bad to me. But the fact that someone is concerned about me makes me feel moved, but at the same time, I know I shouldn't get close with him.

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm okay," I said.

It's true that I was in for a slight culture shock, but at least this village doesn't seem to be suspicious. This makes me want to leave and not leave at the same time. A peaceful life without any school or work would be nice for a change, but it would hurt me even more if I ended up killing some residents.

"Are you hiding something from me?" Lucas asked.

I guess I'm too easy to read. Or either that, Lucas is good at reading people. I probably would've been able to avoid suspicion if I tried to act normal, but acting is alien to me. All I could do was give off the vibe of an emotionless person. Since I've been all alone for years, I eventually found myself unable to properly express myself, resulting me in approaching things in a calm manner. I only seem to be able to express myself if I hear or see something that's enough to warrant a reaction from me. One example would be those… oxygen machines. Despite that, it seems like Lucas was able to see through me. But then again, he did say all I did was spend time all alone at the beach and I tried to avoid interacting with the villagers. Actions do speak louder.

I figured it was no use to keep lying, but I wasn't about to be brutally honest either. "I'm sorry… I can't tell you."

"Is it really okay for you to keep it all to yourself?" Lucas asked. "It seems like a problem that's been bothering you for a while."

Okay, reading me right there wasn't surprising. I faltered a little bit.

"It's nothing," I said firmly.

At this point, I can't tell whether he's doing this out of the kindness of his heart or if he was just bored. After all, his father isn't around a lot. Or so he says. But then again, there are the other villagers around, but it seems like he's not interested in them. After I thought about it for another second, he said that not many know that this village exists, which means they don't get a lot of visitors. Maybe he just wants to hang out with a new face.

Y'know what, fuck this. Lemme just go hang out with him for a little bit. I'm sure my communication skills have deteriorated pretty badly throughout the years, so this is a good chance to catch up.

"Actually… I'm just worried about whether I'll fit in here or not…" I said finally.

"That's what it was?" Lucas asked. "Is that why you wanted to leave yesterday?"

"Yeah…" I kinda wanna know this kid's intentions while getting to know the village better.

"Oh, I can tell you how things are around here."

"Is that really okay by you? I mean, you've done nothing but help me ever since I landed here."

"It's alright. I have nothing else to do."

Okay, maybe half the reason is because he's bored. "O-okay…"

Lucas took me around the village and started talking to me about his… culture. Apparently they have a baker, blacksmith, mayor, innkeepers (which I already know about), lumberjacks and builders, a bird message service, a mapmaker, and a grave digger. There were two families who raise animals to acquire certain resources, like wool and milk. Everyone had a role to play and contribute to one simple community. Lucas showed me where each person was living, though he said that the lumberjacks live in the Sunshine Forest.

"It really does sound like something thrown out of history," I remarked after Lucas was done.

"History?" Lucas gave me a confused look.

Right, there aren't any schools in Tazmily Village. "Since I-dunno-how-long-ago, before modern technology was introduced, everyone had to use whatever resource they found and survive together. And I-dunno-how-much-longer later, technology advanced, not everyone agreed with working together and then crimes started… and they still run rampant around the world."

"Crimes? We don't have any in the village."

"I guess this place is an exception. But crimes are pretty common back where I come from."

"Really?"

"I've never witnessed one, but I've been guilty of some."

Lucas looked surprised. "You committed a crime?"

"Yeah. I stole textbooks from a school before I ran away."

"Textbooks? School?"

"A school is a big building where people go to learn. And they use textbooks to aid students in learning."

"Why would you steal textbooks?"

"What can I do? I'm finding a new home where there might not be any schools, and I have to make sure I keep up with kids my age. But no worries, I'm not planning on doing anything to the village. I'm not strong enough to do anything of the sort."

"You're… not strong enough? And you were trying to find a home by yourself?"

"I just relied on what I know in order to survive. Like how to set up a campfire and all that stuff. I only built my strength enough to pull small logs."

"Oh… Well, there isn't anything valuable to steal in the village anyway."

"My thoughts exactly."

"So what is school like?"

"You go to the school along with other people who are going. There's a teacher who teaches you things… like math and reading…"

"Is school fun?"

I took a moment to think. "Welllllll… It depends on whether you like to learn or not…"

"Do you think it's fun?"

I went silent at that question. I haven't spent enough time in school to give a clear answer. After all, I was on the run for years. I do remember that I thought school was fun, but I wasn't sure whether my opinion would change later on, since it does get harder as you grow older.

"Er… I guess…" I said uncertainly.

"You guess?" Lucas gave me a confused look.

I decided to just come up with a lie. "Well, school did teach a few things that were boring to me. Like history. I have no interest in what happens in the past, but I had to learn it, and some of it got stuck in my head. On the other hand, though, there were some things I enjoyed learning, like math. So I guess it's so-so."

I never made it far enough to learn history or more advanced math. I had to rely on the textbooks.

"Is math and history the only kind of thing you learn?"

"No, there are others, like language arts and science. Science is the most interesting to me. You learn how the world works, like how it rains."

"How it rains?"

"Yeah. Water becomes gas and goes into the sky. It becomes a gas faster when it's warmer. When it's in the sky, it turns into clouds. And then when the clouds get too heavy, it rains."

"That's how it rains? So the clouds in the sky are really just water?"

"Yeah. Incidentally, when it gets really cold to the point where the water freezes, it falls as snow or hail."

Lucas was giving me a very intrigued look like as if I told him valuable information. It almost felt like I just taught an elementary schooler how it rains. I reminded myself that Lucas has never gone to school, so he wouldn't know a lot of things that would be considered basic knowledge to people around his age.

"Can you tell me more?" Lucas didn't look like it, but it seemed like he was pretty excited to learn new things.

And this is how my second day in the village went. We sat down on a bench at the square and then I suddenly became a science teacher to Lucas, though I did admit to him that I'm just pulling information off the top of my head. We covered a few topics like how volcanoes are formed, outer space, and why we're safe from getting burned alive from the sun.

"I would like to tell you more, but… I lost the textbooks in the storm," I said after what seemed like hours of talking. "Actually… I lost everything on me during the storm."

"Oh… So you really do have nowhere else to go…" Lucas sounded like he was sorry for me, but he didn't show it.

"Yep. Incidentally…"

I leaned close to Lucas and began whispering. "Why was everyone staring at us while I was teaching you science?"

Lucas lowered his voice so that only I would hear him. "I guess it's because I'm talking with someone. I haven't been out of the house and sitting outside to take the time out to talk with someone for the past few years. And how did you notice everyone was staring at us? You looked like you were looking at me the whole time."

"When you leave civilization, you have to always be aware of your surroundings. Since I've been away from any form of civilization for so long, it's habit for me to assess my surroundings every once in a while, even when it doesn't look like it. After all, I don't wanna be brutally devoured by a tiger or anything worse than that, because that can happen when you don't think it would."

"Oh. I learned a lot today. Can you teach me more tomorrow?"

He looked very eager. It made me feel conflicted. When I talk with him, it makes me want to stay in the village even more. I guess it's because I haven't had anyone to talk to for so long. But either way, I have nowhere to go, since I can't get through the forest myself.

"Sure," I replied. "Just meet me here tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks!" Lucas seemed to be happy.

As Lucas ran off to go home, I leaned back on the bench and went into a deep thought. Apparently at the end of the forest is a mountain range. I wondered if there was an empty valley that I could stay in. Since Lucas said that his grandfather lives in the mountains and he's visited many times, I was certain that he knows what the area looks like. Maybe the next time he goes, I can tag along and look around. He brings his dog to defend him through the forest.

My thoughts then went to the oxygen machines that Lucas mentioned earlier. I still couldn't get the images out of my head, but something bothers me. Lucas called them oxygen machines but said they looked like mermen. For some reason, I just took it at face value, even though mermaids or mermen don't exist. Maybe I easily accepted it because I do have powers that aren't supposed to be real, but they are. Anyway, they're called oxygen machines but they look like mermen. But I'm quite convinced that they're mermen rather than machines, given the way they… uh… give oxygen. I'm not sure which is it. Hell, I'm not even sure why I'm thinking about it.

Anyway, I got up and went into the Cross Road to gather nuts. I spent some time collecting them before I visited the baker, Caroline, to ask her to make some nut bread out of them. After I got some nut bread, I went to the beach and went back to staring emptily at the sea. While I have been brooding over my dilemma, I was also ready to jump into the sea if my powers were to go off at a moment's notice. The first warning sign I would get is this horrible feeling of power welling up in my body. The next would be the power concentrating in every part of my body. And then it would get unleashed all at once, causing an explosion. I figured that if I were to jump into the sea, it would reduce the damage done to the village.

As time went on, I watched as my shadow moved slowly around me until it got dark. It was then I returned to the Yado Inn and stayed in my room. For some reason, I had the feeling that my powers can't go off when I sleep. With that, I immediately went to bed.


	3. Sunshine Forest

**Chapter 3: Sunshine Forest**

I sat on one of the benches at the village square, a pile of paper in my hands. I was waiting for Lucas so I can teach him some more things that he doesn't know. While doing so, I began mentally reviewing what I know to prepare myself for teaching.

I sat there for I-dunno-how-long, but it seemed to be hours. It seemed like it was almost noon, given the sun's position in the sky. I don't remember when, but at some point I taught myself how to roughly tell time by checking the sun's position. It was something I had to know to survive out in the wild better.

Maybe I should just leave. I've been sitting here all morning, and it's boring. Actually, this isn't any different from me looking out to the sea, now that I think about it. So why do I have trouble sitting here and waiting for Lucas? Is it because I'm not on the beach?

I tried to entertain myself by remembering the times I was on the run. There was that one time I set up a snare trap to try to capture some animal in a forest I was passing by and kill it with this knife I sharpened. I needed whatever resource I could get. Days had passed as I checked the trap every few hours. And one day, I heard the _whoosh_ sound of the trap catching something, followed by a scream. That scream bothered me. If it was what I thought it was, then that would be crazy. I ran over to the trap and cautiously peered out from behind a tree from a distance. What I saw next confirmed my suspicions but also made me thought that all the humans became animals and the animals became humans. What I had caught was a man. I knew that I shouldn't be seen, so I covered myself with leaves to disguise myself as a bush. It was a really crappy disguise, I admit, but at least it hid my face. I then went over to the man and noticed he was a poacher who was illegally hunting animals. With that, I stole his gun and ran off. I did use the gun several times to defend myself from the more ferocious animals, but I lost it in the storm.

I was about to give up and go to the beach when I saw the guy I've been waiting for, along with his dog.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hi," Lucas greeted back.

I noticed that he was holding a stick. "What are you doing with that stick?"

"I use it for self-defense."

Self-defense? With a stick? I've never seen such a thing. It almost sounds like a kid pretending to play an RPG and his sword is the stick. In fact, Lucas strongly reminded me of one because of the way he was holding the stick; at the end like as though it was a sword handle. Actually, I hope that's not what's gonna happen.

"Okay, so… why are you holding one?" I asked.

"I'm going into the Sunshine Forest to look for some food after you finish teaching me," Lucas answered. "Do you wanna come with us?"

Nice, now I can go to the mountains. "Sure. Anyway, I've been sitting here for a long time. What have you been doing for the last few hours?"

"I was sleeping. I got up a few minutes ago."

Great, a late riser. "You could've told me beforehand so I wouldn't have to sit here like a hobo for a long time."

"Sorry."

"Whatever, let's begin."

Lucas sat down next to me as Boney laid down next to him.

"Alright, now it's time for me to teach you mathematics," I said. "I'm assuming you already know your numbers, but do you know how to do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division?"

"Well, I can do addition and subtraction, but…" Lucas started.

"Good, okay, let's move on to multiplication and division," I interrupted, talking rather fast while using a quill pen to write on the paper.

As I prattled on and on about multiplication and division, Lucas gave me a look like as though I transformed into a dangerous beast that was threatening to eat him alive. I suppose I'm acting a lot different than usual; I'm more talkative and pushier and prone to interrupting questions. Math was one of my few passions from school, and I guess I'm being a bit too passionate about it that I almost seem like a completely different person.

"Woof woof. (My head hurts.)" Boney barked.

I know that humans aren't supposed to be able to understand animals, but I could. I assumed it was because of my powers, but I had to pretend like I had no idea what he's saying.

"Yeah, mine hurts too," Lucas said.

I froze right there. Lucas seemed to understand his dog perfectly. Could it be possible that he has some power like I do? No… I'm just overreacting. All I have to do is just ask.

"You know what he says?" I asked.

"Yeah," Lucas replied. "I could understand him ever since I was little. My family can."

"Just your family?"

"Some of the others can understand him."

Hmm. Maybe it's just a village thing to be able to talk to his dog. I guess I should've known better than to get my hopes up. I was hoping I can find people who have some unreal power like I do so maybe they can sympathize with me, but not all dreams can come true.

"You don't know what he's saying?" Lucas asked.

"No," I lied. "What'd he say?"

"He said his head hurt."

"Oh. Anyway, we're getting out of focus here, so…"

* * *

"I'm sure that was a lot to take in, but I hope you understand it all," I finished.

"I understand," Lucas said. "Well, let's go into the forest."

I followed Lucas out of the village to the Sunshine Forest. We stopped by a house in there that one of the villagers live in, and we got some Antidotes. After that, we went further into the forest. And the first thing we ran into was a snake. I froze in fear as Lucas and Boney charged at the snake. Boney bit down on it while Lucas bashed it with his stick. When the stick made contact with the snake, it was sent flying.

Holy crap. So Lucas really is strong like his dad says. Once again I'm reminded of the saying to never judge a book by its cover. Lucas brings Boney to have another ally by his side, not as a form of self-defense. I stood there, dumbfounded, as Lucas casually walked forward as though nothing happened. He noticed that I wasn't moving.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"N-nothing…" I stammered. "You're just so… strong…"

"I guess. Everyone reacted that way when Boney, Dad, and I defended the village from a hoard of stampeding boars. Well, except for Duster."

Weird name. "Duster?"

"He lives in the village, and he's a thief."

A what? "A thief?"

"Yeah. He was one of the few people who already knew how strong I was before the boar attack."

Somehow it feels bad to know that Lucas can defend himself and I can't. Maybe it's because I'm older than him? Or maybe it's because it bothers me to know that he's always had a home and he can defend himself while I didn't have one for a long time of my life and I can't. Either way, it can't be helped.

We went further down into the forest as Lucas gathered nuts and other things that you'd normally see in a forest. He and Boney also fought off any hostile creatures that would come after us. We eventually reached the end and found ourselves in a mountainous area.

"So this is the end of the forest…" I remarked.

"This place is the Oriander Mountains," Lucas said. "I used to go here to play with Dragos."

"Dragos?"

"They're friendly animals, and they're my friends…" He seemed to be a little sad.

"Is something wrong?"

"One of the Dragos killed my mom."

Here I thought his mother died of a health condition or something. But it seems like I was wrong. She was killed by a… friendly animal. Maybe they think the animal is friendly. After all, you can't tell what goes on in an animal's mind.

"Well, um… it's an animal, right?" I asked, trying not to sound blunt. "You don't know when they'll start acting up and attacking people."

"No, it wasn't the Drago's fault," Lucas said solemnly. "Something was done to it to make it angry, so it killed my mom."

Something was done to it? I wondered what that would be. Did someone attack it? Was it hungry? And most of all, what the heck do they even look like? A dragon thing?

"What do they even look like?" I asked.

"You wanna see one?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah."

With that, he put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. The ground started shaking a little as I can hear giant footsteps. And coming around the corner of the mountain was…

"A tyrannosaurus rex?!" I cried in shock.

"A what?" Lucas asked quizzically.

I took a moment to regain my composure. "Never mind. D-do they bite?"

"No, they don't."

At this point, I'll just say that Lucas is making me look stupid for being scared. When he mentioned that a Drago murdered his mother, I wasn't sure what to expect. I half thought it might've been a dragon-looking thing, but it just looked like a dinosaur. Even so, dinosaurs are still dangerous. And if it looks like a tyrannosaurus rex, that just adds more danger. But the fact that Lucas is acting like as if it was tame scares me even more. If it was an animal that looks like a tyrannosaurus rex and it had a history of killing someone, I wouldn't even get near another one again.

"Do you still play with these… Dragos?" I asked.

"No," Lucas replied. "I never find time since I have to take care of myself."

"Oh, I see."

"By the way, why were you so shocked when you saw it?"

"No reason… I was just surprised at how big it was." Okay, that was a lie so ridiculous that it makes me wanna kill myself for it.

"So you've never seen big animals before…"

I have, but not animals that look like something that's supposed to be extinct. This place is getting crazier by the minute. First I run into a village that used to charge money and now doesn't. Then I learn that the inhabitants can talk to animals. And now I meet a tyrannosaurus rex on the island. Unless it's me going insane as in result of the storm. Or maybe I'm really dead and this is my punishment; I ended up in a place that will fuck with my mind.

"Jenny," I heard Lucas say. "Are you hiding something else from me?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts.

"It just now occurred to me, but… you keep saying strange things."

"Strange things?"

"What you called the Drago… You said some word that I don't know. And when you said you were surprised at how big the Drago was… I think that's a lie. Earlier we saw a giant boar and you didn't react to it."

Dammit. He's suspicious of me.

"Well, do you know what a car is?" I asked.

"Yes," Lucas replied.

I hesitated. I was expecting him to not know, but he just told me he knew what it was. Maybe it's a fluke.

"Do you know what a smartphone is?" I asked.

"A what?" Lucas asked.

Okay, he doesn't know that. This is confusing. First he doesn't know a lot about technology, yet he does know some. How can that happen?

"Well, I need to ask you this," I began. "How do you know what a car is when your village doesn't have any?"

"Because we used to have cars in the village," Lucas simply answered.

Used to? That was the same set of words used when mentioning money.

"When you say used to, did something happen to the village?" I asked.

"Four years ago, the village changed," Lucas started. "Before that time, the village was how you see it now. But for the next three years following the change, it was different. The houses were no longer made of wood, the paths went from dirt to concrete, and there was money."

Hmm. From what Lucas tells me, it appears the village started using modern technology at one point. But in one year, it went back to how it was before becoming modern. If that was the case, how did it happen and what caused them to change their minds? And most importantly of all, how did the roads go from concrete to dirt?

"So, um… how did it go from different to back to the same?" I tried to make the question sound simple, since I am not sure what Lucas knows and doesn't know.

"I asked the Dark Dragon to change it back," Lucas answered.

Dark Dragon? What? I thought I was going to cause another explosion out of surprise rather than my power going nuts. A mythical creature was the last thing I expected to hear. Maybe I really have gone crazy, and it's a wonder that I haven't accidentally blown something up.

"Dark… Dragon?" I asked.

"Yes, the Dragon," Lucas answered. "It was sealed under the islands by seven Needles and I pulled the last one to awaken it. The Dragon was the reason why these islands are the only landmass after the End of the World. The people of Tazmily are the survivors of the End of the World."

Dark Dragon. Sealed under islands. Sealed by seven Needles. Lucas awakened said Dragon. Only landmass after the End of the World. All because of the Dragon. The villagers are survivors. It just sounded too nonsensical and too much to take in. Especially about the End of the World part. No way that ever happened. And if these islands really are the only landmass after said End of the World, then why does my homeland exist? Has Lucas been lying to me all this time?

As I was digesting the information while trying to distinguish between truth and lie, I felt the familiar, yet horrible sensation.

"Oh, no! Lucas, run!" I shouted frantically.

"What? Run?" a bewildered Lucas asked.

"Just do it! Run! RUN! Get away from me!" I shouted in desperation.

Noting my panicked state, Lucas, Boney, and the Drago ran off into the mountains as I felt a lot of energy exploding out of my body. There it is. It's come at last. The moment of truth. Almost immediately after the explosion, I smelled the unpleasant scent of smoke, felt the intense heat, and heard some sinister crackling next to me.

"F-f-fire!"


	4. PSI

**Chapter 4: PSI**

The area around me was in flames. I had created another explosion, and this time I set the Sunshine Forest on fire, causing me look at it in shock. Well, great. I heard Lucas and Boney cautiously coming back to me, which caused me to look over and watch their expressions. Brace yourself, Jen. The hate and anger is about to come.

I think normally a human being would still be in shock of the fire, but I'm the kind who recovers from shock quickly and acts. It was a necessary adaptation in the possible scenario that I get suddenly attacked by one of the more dangerous predators out in the wilderness. Because if I were to freeze up when I see a bear, I would be dead the next instant if it decides to attack me. But I really can't say the same when it comes to snakes. As a matter of fact, I once got bitten by one when it snuck up behind me. It blended with the foliage, which is why I never detected it. I remember feeling the piercing pain, and I looked to see its sharp fangs sinking into my ankle. When I got my foot free by stabbing the snake to death, I wasn't sure if I was dead meat by then, but since my body didn't feel different for about three days, and still hasn't now, I thought it was safe to assume that the snake wasn't venomous. If it was, I should've been dead already, because it's been years since I was bitten in the ankle, and it's not like I can casually walk to a hospital and say, "Hey, I got bitten by a snake and I dunno if it's poisonous, so can you check on my snakebite?", because that would be suicide. Anyway, the experience left me with a fear of snakes. I dunno the word for it, but I guess you can say I developed some sort of snake-o-phobia. So now I avoid walking in areas with tall grass, because that's the best place for a snake to go unnoticed.

"You're a PSI user," Lucas said in surprise. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I think I was more surprised than Lucas. I was expecting him to get angry or scared of me and maybe even yell at me, but I was not expecting him to be surprised at me like this.

"A what…?" I asked numbly, now in shock of Lucas' reaction rather than me causing a forest fire.

"You don't know…?" Lucas looked just as confused as me for a moment before shaking his head. "Never mind, we've got to get out of here."

Lucas and Boney ran off as I followed them without hesitation. We went up the mountains and stopped at the top where a log cabin was.

"We'll be safe here…" Lucas said as he looked back at the smoke in the sky cautiously. "But that looks bad."

I still couldn't wrap my head around Lucas' words from earlier. "What did you just call me just earlier?"

"A PSI user. That's what you are. Why didn't you tell me?"

"That's what it was? And I didn't tell you because I was scared that you'd hate me."

"I'd hate you…?" Lucas seemed surprised that… no, make that shocked. He seemed genuinely shocked that I would say such a thing, which scared me. It was almost like as if I just told him that he was the most vile thing to ever exist on the planet.

"Y-yeah… because that's not normal for a human being to have."

Lucas suddenly looked serious. "It's not… but… I'm a PSI user too."

I wasn't sure whether I should believe what I'm hearing. "What did you just say?"

"I'm also a PSI user. See? PK Love!"

Lucas then shot out a bunch of magical hexagon-shaped energy. It just seemed so unreal that I could only gape in shock at it. A lot of things were going through my head. What…? How…? He just… He can use the same power as me…? Then…

"So this power I have…" I said nervously in disbelief. "I'm… not the only one with it? I'm not all alone in this…? You… too…?"

"Me too," Lucas replied.

I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not, but… there are others like me?! That explains why Lucas was shocked when I admitted that I thought he'd hate me, since he has the same power. I needed to know about this weird power we have… now!

"So, um… what's this power about?" I asked.

"It's a psychic power," Lucas explained. "You can use it to attack, defend, or heal wounds. From the looks of it, you don't know how to control yours."

I guess it's time to come clean now since there's no point in hiding it. "You're right… That's the reason why I'm all alone. I keep accidentally destroying things, and people get scared and hate me. Even my own family abandoned me. So for a very long time, I've been trying to find a place to stay where I won't hurt anyone. I was mostly lying about my past and problems, so I'm sorry."

Lucas was giving me a sympathetic look as I explained my problem. "That's why you didn't like to be around people… I'll help you out. You need to go see Kumatora. She's a better PSI user than me, and she can help you control yours."

"So… nobody hates you for being a… PSI user?"

"No, I use it to help them out."

The village has already accepted PSI users. Maybe I've finally found a place to stay at last. And on top of that, it can be with humans.

"By the way, where is this Kumatora person that you speak of?" I asked.

"I don't know," Lucas replied. "The last time I saw her was a year ago. She goes places and I have no clue where she goes."

"Well either way, I don't think we can start finding her anytime soon."

"Why?"

I pointed at the smoke. "We can't go back unless we wanna get our lungs turned black or possibly get burned to death."

Lucas seemed slightly disturbed by how detailed I was, but it was only for an instant. "Actually, we can try now. Most of the time she's up in these mountains."

I've been wrecked. "Oh. Is there a reason as to why she chooses to stay in these mountains most of the time?"

"That's where her late guardian lived."

Guardian? Does that mean she doesn't have any parents or lost them?

"I guess I can write her a letter and leave it where she could find it, if we can't find her," Lucas said. "She'll come down once she sees it."

"Cool, then we can get my psychic powers or whatever it is under control," I said. Finally, I'll be free from this heavy burden!

"Hmm, but the problem is that I don't have any paper, and there aren't any up here."

Dammit. "So, uh… what're we gonna do now?"

"Go find Kumatora."

Oh, right, duh. "So where do we go?"

"I know my way around the mountains, so you can follow me."

Lucas and Boney went back towards the flaming forest, but they stopped at a river halfway there. We crossed it by jumping on top of frogs, and up ahead I saw a pink shell house.

"What the heck is that?" I asked.

"That's a Magypsy house," Lucas replied. "Magypsies are strange people who helped me awaken my PSI powers. They're all gone now, though."

Lucas went up to the door and opened it. He looked inside for a few seconds before closing it.

"She's not in this one," he said.

"Does she stay in these shell houses?" I asked.

"Every once in a while. Because the Magypsies were her guardians."

Oh. I guess I can see why this Kumatora goes inside of the shell houses sometimes. Lucas did say that the residents of the shell houses were her late guardians, so I'm sure she misses them.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I saw Lucas and Boney going on ahead to a tunnel in the back of the area. I ran to catch up to them. Before I can say a word about it being dark, Lucas suddenly started emitting sparks from his finger to use as a light source. We jumped down holes and climbed many vines until we found ourselves up a cliff with a crumbled path. We then go into a cave and wind around to another area outside. In front of us was a river, which split the entire area in half.

"This is the Drago Plateau," Lucas said as we stepped out into the sunlight. "We had to use that tunnel behind the Magypsy house after the Drago that killed Mom destroyed the path up on the cliff."

We walked around the rocky wall and along the river. As we go further into the plateau, I noticed a bunch of claw marks on the ground. We eventually reached a cliff that stopped us from going any further.

"It looks like there was once a struggle here," I remarked. The area at the cliff seems to be damaged the most by said struggle.

Lucas looked at one of the bigger claw marks for a while. "That must've been when my brother fought that Drago."

"Your brother fought that Drago?"

"He wanted to avenge Mom. That was four years ago. But after he left to kill it, he never came back. Dad tried to go after him, and he fought the Drago too. He ended up killing it, even though he didn't deal the finishing blow like he wanted to. But he couldn't find my brother. He would spend the next three years finding him and leaving me alone. But come to think of it, some of those claw marks could've come from the Drago's battle with Dad."

"Since he disappeared, is that how he died?"

"No… he died a different way." Lucas looked at the ground with a depressed expression.

A different way? I can't guess what that would be. I mean, if a kid were to go up against a crazy, murderous tyrannosaurus rex, he won't survive. And if he did, he would've came back to the village. But Lucas said he disappeared, which could only mean he was killed. The part that I don't get is what Lucas meant by his brother dying a different way. Maybe I can ask about it later, because now's a bad time.

Lucas snapped out of his depressed mood the next instant and looked around the plateau some more. "I don't see Kumatora here, so we'll have to turn back. Our last stop is Chupichupyoi Temple."

The name of the temple sounds like a tongue-twister. "The what temple?"

"Never mind. Let's just go and look."

Lucas led me back to the area outside of Sunshine Forest and we headed back to the top of the mountain. This time, however, we took a path to the left, away from the top. When we stepped foot into a large area, we suddenly fell down. And I didn't even trip or lose balance or anything. I get up, irritated, while Lucas and Boney casually got up as though they already accepted falling down.

"What the hell?!" I shouted.

"This is Argilla Pass, also known as the Stumble Pass," Lucas explained. "Just be careful not to have anything on you that's easy-to-drop and easy-to-roll."

That is a weird way of wording your possessions. And this place seems like it trolls whoever steps foot into it. Anyway, we went further down until we reached a cave. After going through a tunnel, we eventually came to a clearing and reached a ladder leading to a higher area. Lucas climbed up the ladder, and I climbed up after him. When I reached the top, it turned out to be a large pond with another pink shell house. Lucas opened the door, looked inside for a second, and then closed it.

"She's not here," he said. "I'm not sure when she'll come back."

"So what're we gonna do now?" I asked.

Lucas went into a deep thought for a moment. "I don't have any abilities to put out that fire, and the Osohe Castle is destroyed, so that means the secret passage won't work… I guess we'll have to stay over at my grandfather's place until the fire dies down."

Come to think of it, he did say something about his grandfather living in the mountains. "Where on the mountains would that be?"

"That cabin we saw at the top of the mountain."

Oh, that cabin. We left and headed back to the top of the mountain where the said cabin was. Lucas went up to front door and knocked on it. An old man wearing a brown hat answered.

"Oh, Lucas," he said. "How've you been?"

"Good," Lucas replied. "Can we stay here for a while?"

"Sure. But why?"

I pointed at the smoke in the sky. "That's why. We'd rather take shelter than to get barbecued."

"Oh? Who's the girl?" the old man asked.

"Her name's Jenny," Lucas replied. "Jenny, meet my grandfather, Alec."

"Yo," I greeted. "Sorry, but we're gonna have to crash here for a little while. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind," Alec said. "I still have two beds upstairs. Lucas, how did you meet Jenny?"

"I found her unconscious at the beach," Lucas said. "She was looking for a place to stay after being feared for being a PSI user. So I helped her around."

"Yeah… You may as well say I got exiled," I said. "Just hope that I don't blow your house or anything."

"Well, let's not go there," Alec said. "So you got rejected for having abilities just like my grandson?"

"Yeah…" I muttered. "Once my first burst of uncontrolled power came loose, a bunch of crazy ideas popped into people's minds. Now they were expecting me to do things like, I dunno, scaring a football field into puking up a volcano, launching a house five thousand feet into the air, turn people into frogs, hypnotizing them into becoming my underlings, or make a refrigerator stranded up on a tree. But I can't even do any of that stuff at all, all I can do is destroy things with an explosion that I can't control."

"What's a football field?" Lucas asked.

"Don't worry about it," I replied rather quickly. I forget that there are some things Lucas knows and doesn't know.

"So how did you get here, Jenny?" Alec asked.

"Jenny was out on the sea and a storm swept her to the beach," Lucas said.

"I thought I was gonna die," I said. "The last thing I remember is seeing this huge wave coming straight at the boat, and knowing that the boat won't be able to take it. And then I thought, okay, if the boat doesn't make it, neither will I. I'm just gonna die by drowning. But I didn't wanna see how the world would look like as you're dying, so I closed my eyes. I heard the wave hit the boat, and then I felt like I was underwater, and then the next instant… Lucas was waking me up on the beach."

"I was passing by the beach when I saw you lying in the sand," Lucas said. "You looked like you were hurt, so I wanted to see if you were okay."

I'm pretty sure if he was able to read minds, he would think there's something wrong with me at that time. I mean, I don't think it's normal for someone to think that they died and went to heaven just because they landed in the kind of area they like. If it turns out Lucas can read minds, then he probably wouldn't be able to handle looking into mine because of how nonsensical my thoughts can be. But I doubt that he could read minds to begin with, given that he believed my half-assed lies from earlier.

"So she's from somewhere else…" Alec remarked. "Where did you come from?"

"I came from Falo Island," I answered. "And speaking of island, can you please explain to me what you were going on about earlier about a Dragon and Needles?"

"Oh, sure," Lucas answered. "There used to be a Dragon sleeping under these islands, and it was sealed away by seven Needles. Only users of PK Love can pull the Needles."

"PK… Love?" Sounds kinda sappy. Come to think of it, those were the words he said when he shot those magical hexagons.

"It's a PSI ability that I can use. Not very many people can use it. The Needles were guarded by the Magypsies, and if one were to be pulled, the Magypsy who is supposed to guard said Needle will vanish. That's why they're all gone now."

So I guess the only remnant of a Magypsy would be the pink shell houses. I can see why Kumatora could be found in one of those houses half of the time.

"The heart of the Needle puller is passed on to the Dragon," Lucas continued. "It will obey the person who awakens it. Last year, I woke it up to restore peace to the islands."

Ah. That must be why Tazmily Village reversed back to being a simple village. It would require some crazy supernatural power to get rid of all the concrete in the village within a year, given the number of people living in the village.

"The Dragon probably created more islands elsewhere, if you really did come from a different island," Lucas said after going into a deep thought. "Because before the Dragon was awakened, there were no other islands aside from these."

No other islands? And… one year ago? If it was really a year ago when the Dragon was awakened… Is the Dragon the reason why I'm alive now? If it was never awakened, would I be nonexistent now?

"Why did you wake it up?" I asked.

"Because someone was going to use it to destroy the world," Lucas answered. "So I had to wake it up in order to save the world."

Oh. For a second there, I thought he was out of his mind for spawning some crazy big-ass beast for no apparent reason.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but do you know why another fire started in Sunshine Forest?" Alec asked.

"Another?" I asked.

"Four years ago, it was set on fire," Lucas answered. "That was the same night Mom died."

A forest was set on fire at the same time Lucas' mother died. Somehow it sounds like a signal that something bad was happening.

"Yeah, but what about now? Do you two happen to know anything about it?" Alec asked.

"Yeah, actually…" I started nervously. "I… was the one who set it in flames. By accident! I didn't do it because I held a grudge against the forest or anything!"

"You… held a grudge against the forest?" Lucas asked, confused.

"No, but I'm just saying…" I replied.

"You set it on fire?" Alec asked, confused.

"She doesn't know how to control her PSI," Lucas explained. "It was an accident. I was gonna go find Kumatora so she could teach her, but with the fire, we can't go back. We looked around the mountains and she wasn't there."

"Yeah… but um, what do you mean by there were no other islands besides these?" I asked.

"The End of the World occurred sometime in the past," Lucas replied. "These islands were the only ones to survive the disaster because of the Dragon."

My head was starting to hurt.

"Hang on a second," I started. "If you woke up the Dragon last year, then why am I older than you? Shouldn't I only be a year old if my island only existed for a year?"

"Maybe your island was a recreation of an old one?" Lucas suggested. "Maybe the Dragon restored the lives of the people living on it right before the island's destruction?"

So that would mean I actually died before? The only things I remember are my early childhood, running away after being discovered as a PSI user, a handful of things I was doing while on the run, and the storm that sent me to these islands.

"I don't remember anything about my island getting destroyed…" I said.

"It could be possible the Dragon erased everyone's memories about the End of the World, if nobody talked about it," Lucas suggested. "I don't think it's for the best that everyone forgot about the End of the World because of what happened last year on these islands…"

To be honest, it just sounds like Lucas is spouting a bunch of bullcrap, but after seeing that he recognized my power and he can use the same thing, I'm quite ready to believe what he says. He doesn't seem like the kind to lie.

"Well, whatever it is, I guess the only thing that matters for me is that I'm here now," I said. "But I can say for sure that nobody ever mentioned anything about a catastrophic destruction of the world, nor was it ever mentioned in any books I stole. So I guess we can assume that everyone's memories of the End of the World was erased."

Earlier I did say that I only have one life to spend. If what Lucas suggested is true, then that means I have a second chance at life and I definitely cannot let it go to waste. Especially not after learning that there are people like me who can help me out.

"Which reminds me, do you know how often your PSI goes off like that?" Lucas asked.

"No," I replied. "All I know that it comes at random. Which is why I hope we don't have to stay here for too long. At this point, it's a miracle that I even lasted for over a day in the village without destroying it. But I just realized something… You say that the forest was once on fire. How was the fire put out if it wasn't burned to ashes?"

"It rained."

So it was luck on the forest's end. I wonder about now, though. It doesn't seem like there are any firefighters in Tazmily Village. Would it be burned to the ground by the time the fire subsides?

Suddenly a flock of birds came flying out of the forest and circled above Lucas. They seemed to be chirping something about a human living in the forest, and Lucas suddenly had a look of concern.

"Jenny, stay here," he said in a serious tone. "I have to go into the forest."

He then started running off.

"Wait, where are you going?!" I cried.

He ignored me as he kept running, with his dog right behind him. Now, I know that he was so strong that he could probably beat the shit out of a lion that's as big as the forest, but he's up against one of the cruel forces of nature.

"Don't worry about Lucas," Alec said. "He can take care of himself, even in a forest fire."

"I… I'm gonna go wait for him…" I said.

I slowly climbed down the mountain and stopped when I reached the burning forest, keeping a safe distance away from the smoke. I sat there for who-knows-how-long, waiting to see if Lucas would come back. Eventually, I saw two black figures coming out of the forest. I look to see that it was Lucas and Boney, covered in soot. A feeling of relief washed over me.

"Why did you go in there?" I asked.

"I had to check to see if one of my friends was okay," Lucas replied. "He lives in the forest. The birds reminded me that."

"Oh. Uhhh… you're covered in soot."

This caused him to look down at himself. "Oh, I'll go wash off in the river. And maybe fix up my hair too."

Is that really something you should be worried about?! You just went into a forest fire and could've died for fuck's sake, and you worry about your hair? But then again, I might be underestimating his capability to survive and maybe a forest fire is nothing to him.

"Well, if you could easily go through a forest fire like that, couldn't we just go back to the village?" I asked.

"I wasn't sure if you could withstand one like I can," Lucas replied.

Good point, I wouldn't have. "Then why did you come back? You could get back to the village on your own, right?"

"I could, but I can't leave you behind."

I paused right there as I felt a huge conflict in my emotions. This was the first time anyone has ever cared for me after learning that I can use PSI. In my heart, I had decided that I wouldn't grow close to anyone, with the thought that I'll get rejected once the truth about my PSI comes to light. Yet, this kid right here accepted me for who I was, and he refused to leave me on the mountains. Why else would he come back up here when there's nothing left to do up here?

"Why do you insist on helping me, even though we don't know each other for long?" I asked. "I even lied to you all this time, and…"

"Because we're friends," Lucas simply replied. "I may not have known you for a long time, but I do know that you're not a bad person. I can tell these things. For the past few days, you lied to me to hide the fact you're a PSI user. That's because you didn't know that there were other PSI users out there. I can understand. I also want to learn more from you, because you know so much that I don't."

Now I really don't know how to feel. He just answered sincerely without hesitation. I often took things at a face value since people have been brutally honest with their opinions about me, and none of them were positive. But this was one thing I couldn't. A friend was one thing I really wanted, but at the same time, I couldn't believe this was happening, since there's usually never an easy way out in life. I wasn't sure whether I should cry that someone has finally accepted me or feel so moved about how one kid cares about me this much… Dammit, I think I'm losing myself over emotions. Must. Calm. Down.

"Jenny, are you alright?" Lucas asked. "You don't look well all the sudden."

"It's nothing." Lucas' voice managed to snap me out of my trance to respond. "I'm sorry, I need some time alone."

"O-okay."

I went back up towards the cabin, but this time I went to a cliff that I saw near the cabin. As I looked at the landscape below, I was trying to collect my thoughts. All this time, I wasn't the only PSI user in the world. I thought I would never be the same as anyone else again. But then I met Lucas… He's also a PSI user. He forgave me even after I've been lying to him and I started burning down the forest. He still accepted me for who I was. I found it difficult to believe all that because he just seemed too trusting and it was suspicious. But at the same time, he doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives. I mean, I have nothing valuable on me and it wouldn't be worth the trouble to do anything about me since I can't control my PSI yet.

Sometime had passed when I heard a voice behind me. "Are you okay?"

I knew it was Lucas. "Is something up?"

"You haven't come back to the cabin yet, so I was wondering if you were worrying about something else."

"No… that's not it. I was just… thinking about what happened so far."

"Can you tell me?"

"Well… You know how I said that I was hated for being a PSI user? All this time, I thought I wasn't ever going to be the same as anyone else again. I told myself to endure everything that came my way, because good things come to those who wait. When I stayed in the village for a little bit, I was starting to like it. But I didn't want to stay close to the village, because I might kill someone, you know? I wanted friends at the same time as finding a place to stay. I always thought that I would never have a friend again, but then earlier you just called me your friend. I want to believe it, but… I can't…"

"Why not?" Lucas sounded confused.

"It's kinda weird. I got so used to being insulted and badmouthed that I never expected to hear anything positive about me again. For it to suddenly happen… I'm… not sure how to feel… It just sounds too good to be true…"

"When I said we were friends, I meant it. You're a very nice person, and to tell you the truth, I wanted a best friend. Kumatora is always out and about, so I haven't seen her for a long time. And Duster only comes out at night to do thief training. After the village changed, I haven't been close with anyone. When I saw you on the beach, I wanted to help you, because you were hurt. After talking with you for a bit, I knew you weren't a bad person, so I wanted to be friends with you. You know a lot of things that I don't. You seemed lost, so I tried to help you in any way I could."

I went silent for a while after hearing the sincerity of his tone while an overwhelming feeling ran over me. "Lucas…"

"Huh?"

I turned around to face him, noticing that he did wash the soot off himself like he said. "Th-thank you…"

Lucas looked shocked to see tears streaming down my face. "D-don't cry! I didn't mean to offend you!"

"No… You didn't… I'm just… so happy…"

I can't control my tears or the emotion that was gripping me because I finally got what I wanted after all this time. It's not a surprise that Lucas would be shocked, because this is a stark contrast to my usual, boring stony personality. I let it all out. I cried a small waterfall as I fell to the ground. Lucas stepped away to give me some time alone. It was another minute before I finally stopped crying.

"Okay, that was embarrassing," I remarked. Yeah, now I would've given everything I own to die on the spot because just for a few minutes there, I was a bawling mess and that shattered my pride to pieces.

"It's not," Lucas said. "It seems like you were holding it in for all this time. I can understand the feeling."

"Don't tell anyone I cried like a fool. Not until I die, at least."

"I won't."

"Good, because I don't wanna end up being the one who takes my own life if anyone else were to know."

Lucas looked slightly alarmed. "Y-you don't have to do something as drastic as that!"

"Well, if you don't want me to, then okay."

"Um… Why were you considering it, though?"

"Well, when there's people trying to kill you when you were a little kid, you start hating everything. You might even start hating life because it was unfair to you, and you start getting apathetic at the idea of death. For a while, I felt that way until I realized that just sitting there and loathing life won't change anything. And since I've been in way too many situations where I would've died, I don't really care if I die or not. But I won't die without putting up a fight, because that'll just leave me with regrets."

I'm not sure how Lucas feels on how I see things. As far as I know, life hasn't been fair to him either, but he didn't have any obvious views on it. Maybe he already moved on with his life, and if that were the case, then I really envy him, because I obviously haven't moved on yet. Strength isn't something that comes naturally to everyone.

"But wouldn't killing yourself mean that you died without putting up a fight?" Lucas asked.

Damn, good point. "Uh… then I'd die protecting my pride."

"That's really not something you should die for."

For some reason, I just felt angry when I heard that. "I guess…"

"But you don't have to hate life anymore. I'm here to help you, so let's go back to the cabin and wait the fire out."

I felt a smile come upon my face for the first time in years. "Okay!"


	5. Bear-Tiger Searching

**Alright, I know I was absent for a looooooong time, but I made this chapter longer, so I hope this makes up for it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Bear-Tiger Searching**

The raindrops fell on me as I stared down below at the forest with black smoke floating above it up ahead. As I felt my hair getting wet, I scanned the still-burning cluster of trees and felt relieved when it appeared that Tazmily Village was intact. It'd be terrible if the villagers started hating me because I also burned down the village.

I looked up at the night sky, its stars hidden by the dark clouds. I don't even know why I'm out here, letting myself get wet. Maybe it's because of the anticipation of learning PSI is causing me to wait the night outside. I had thought that we would have to stay in the mountains for the next few days, but since it started raining, we can leave tomorrow morning.

I looked back at the cabin, and then went up the front steps to sit next to Boney, who was lying near the door.

"Woof woof. (It's kinda cold out here.)" Boney barked.

"Yeah, it sure is," I remarked.

"Woof? (You can understand me?)"

"Yeah. I'm assuming it's because I'm a PSI user, because before I was discovered to be one, I couldn't understand a single word a dog or cat would bark or meow. And yes… that would mean I lied to Lucas. But that was because I had to hide that I'm a PSI user. I didn't know he was one too. You'll forgive me for lying to you too, right, Boney?"

"Woo-woof! (Sure, I'll forgive you.)"

"Good boy. Wait, what am I saying? Uhhhh… I'm sorry… this is my first time holding a conversation with a dog." For a second there, my brain told me that I was speaking with a human being instead of a dog, causing me to get confused for a bit.

"Woof?! (Why are you so uncertain?! Just talk to me like you would talk to Lucas!)"

"Go easy on me, man. I'm still new to this PSI thing, and I didn't wanna accept the fact that I'm a PSI user, so I never held a conversation with an animal before."

"Woof… (So you hated being a PSI user…)"

"Back where I'm from, a concept like magic and psychic power didn't exist. That's why I was marked for death the instant I was found out a PSI user. Believe me, I didn't know I was one either."

"Woof! (Lucas didn't know he was one too.)"

At this moment, I realized I forgot the name of the people who guarded the Needle-thingies that Lucas was talking about earlier. "He did say something about getting his powers awakened by the people who once lived in those shell houses."

"Woof woof! (Yeah, he got his powers from a Magypsy.)"

Right, they were called Magypsies. "So, um… how did he meet a Magypsy and did he do something to get his powers?"

"Woof woof woof! (We saw a Magypsy in a hot spring. He said that he was sensing loads of magical power from Lucas, so he had Lucas hold his head under the water for some time. After that, Lucas learned how to use PSI.)"

I don't wanna know how long he had to hold his head underwater, but if it was for a long while like I think, at least he didn't drown himself.

"Woof? (You said you were from Falo Island, but what is it like?)" Boney barked.

"It's a pretty small island with only one city in it," I replied. "There are small towns outside of the city. The remainder of the land is full of forests. I used to live in the city."

"Woof? (Was it very noisy?)"

"Yeah, it's pretty noisy."

"Woof? (Is it filthy?)"

I wasn't sure how I was supposed to answer that. "Err… No… Not unless you're counting air pollution from so many cars going in and out and through it."

"Woof? (Air pollution?)"

Alright, I'm just not gonna explain to save myself from a headache. "Never mind. Why did you ask me about the city?"

"Woof! (I've been to one that was once here, and it was very filthy and noisy. I was wondering if all other cities are the same.)"

Huh. According to Boney, there was once a city on these islands. I'm guessing that also got removed. All this stuff about there once being technology here got the gears in my head turning. Why did they advance in technology and then go backwards? Technology is what makes life convenient for people, and throwing it all away is unprecedented in human history… at least as far as I'm concerned.

While still in deep thought, I went back into the cabin and sat by the fireplace to dry off. Oh man, what a crazy day this has been. I got bombarded with a history lesson of the islands, which also told me what my powers are. It was almost like a story out of a fictional world. After all, magic and mythical creatures like dragons aren't supposed to exist… back in the world I was in. And I never would've imagined how wrong I was when that day came and I exploded at a local park. But since I know that this stuff is real, I think I might prefer this kind of environment over an ordinary life in the city. Even though I hated every minute of being thrown out in the wild, I think I ended up growing fond of it over city life. Maybe I only felt spiteful because my life was at stake. But here, I'm safe. Nobody's gonna try to hurt me, and I will never see a familiar face back at my homeland again.

* * *

 _I walked further and further away from the river until I couldn't see it behind me anymore. As I walked past the trees, I stepped on a small twig, making a snapping noise as it broke. Slightly alarmed, I froze as I scanned the area around me. As I did, I noticed how quiet the area seemed. With that, I nervously reached for the gun strapped to my back._

 _While paying extra attention to my surroundings, I silently went through a dilemma. If I stay out in the open like this, it'll be easier for any aggressive animal to spot me. If I want to avoid that, I should hide in the thicket. But there's the possibility that I've been spotted or heard when I stepped on that twig, and I'll be at a disadvantage if I tried to hide inside the thicket. And there's the possibility that I could've been spotted from inside the thicket._

 _Well, no choice then. I cautiously moved forward while keeping an eye on the thicket. I heard a faint rustling from inside, which caused my heart to beat faster. I stepped as far away as I could from the thicket while checking the area around me. Soon after that, I heard the sound of something large moving very quickly through the thicket, followed by a large cat pouncing at me. Feeling like as if my heart would explode out of my chest, I pointed the gun at the cat and pulled the trigger._

* * *

My eyes popped open as I felt a cold sweat on my face. All I saw was a wooden ceiling in front of me. I noticed that I was lying on a bed. As I sat up slowly, I placed my hand over my still-furiously beating heart. I looked over to my right where there was another bed. A young boy was sleeping in it. Lucas. I saw a set of stairs across the room leading down. Alec's cabin. That's where I am. I'm not out there in a forest. I'm not defending myself from a jaguar.

I looked down at my right leg, slightly above my ankle. There was a scar of an old bite wound that has long since healed. I remember that when the jaguar jumped me and I shot at it, I had missed, and it managed to bite me. I had panicked and managed to shoot it with my next shot, but my leg was bleeding and hurting terribly. I treated my wound to the best of my ability and tried to find a place to hide, because I would be a much easier target if one of my legs is wounded. I was lucky enough to stay hidden while I waited for my injury to heal.

I slowly got up while waiting for my heart to stop beating so hard. I walked over to the mirror to fix up my hair. I was gonna check out the forest and see what's left of it. As I stepped into the morning sunlight, I immediately ran over to the cliff and saw the Sunshine Forest, half burned down. There was no longer any black smoke floating over the forest.

I felt a presence behind me, and I looked to see a tyrannosaurus rex. I mean, Drago. Letting out a yell, I stepped back and missed my footing as I fell down the cliff. This is it. I'm gonna die right after I realized my hopes weren't crushed after all. Which really sucks, but what can I do? I was stupid enough to step back off the cliff.

I felt pain in my back as it slammed against something that seemed to be holding me up. I looked to see that I have landed on a tree branch that wasn't too far below. Oh, looks like I'm still alive. But now my back hurts. Not too long after I processed everything, there was the sound of something heavy landing near me, causing the cliff to shake. I look up to see the Drago jumped down to where I fell. I found myself unable to move as it began shaking the tree I was on. My blood went cold. It's gonna kill me. I'm not in the clear yet. The shaking caused me to fall off the branch, but I ended up landing on the Drago's head. Once that happened, the Drago leaped back up the cliff and set me down gently.

I was surprised that this tyrannosaurus rex would help me back up, especially after I was the one who destroyed half the forest. "Th-thanks…"

The Drago let out a small roar, and then it walked away. I know it was the same one that I saw yesterday, but it didn't seem to hold any ill-will towards me for burning down the forest. Maybe they really are friendly creatures. Well, whatever, as long as I don't get attacked by one. I began making my way back to the cabin, though very slowly. I still felt pain in my back where I landed on the branch. Alec saw me coming, and he walked up to me.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah…" I muttered. "I just fell."

"You fell? You look like you're hurting pretty badly."

"Alright, fine. I fell off the cliff. The end."

"Off the cliff?!"

"Yeah, but I landed on a tree not too far below. That's why I'm in pain, but not that bad pain."

"Lucas can probably help you with that. His PSI also allows him to treat wounds."

If that was the case, then why didn't he heal me when he first found me at the beach? I then remembered that he did raise his hand over me, but he seemed to hesitate and then suddenly started helping me up. I guess he was going to consider it, but changed his mind. I wonder what prompted the sudden change.

"I would ask him for help, but he's not up yet," I said.

"That's true," Alec said. "He's always been a late riser."

"Yeah, I can tell. He made me wait for hours in the morning when I was supposed to teach him mathematics."

"I see."

I sat down at the front steps and started coping with my back pain while waiting for Lucas to wake up. This time I didn't even bother with trying to entertain myself. Sometime passed and I soon got bored and decided to take matters into my hands.

I opened the door, stuck my head into the cabin, and raised my voice. "Lucas! Get up and get out here! The day's going on without ya! The fire's out and the forest is half burnt to a crisp! Now we can go find Kumatora!"

I then shut the door and sat back down. I wouldn't have done that since Lucas is the one doing me favors and it'd be rude to wake him up just because I want to leave right away, but this is taking a bit too long. Makes me wonder which side of the family he gets this from.

"You know, you seem to be in a happy mood lately," Alec remarked.

I guess I don't look happy, but my actions suggest that I am. "My life has been crap and I miraculously come across a crazy island that could help me out. Why wouldn't I be happy?"

"Lucas told me that when he first saw you, you showed little to no emotion. It's kind of hard to believe that with the way you're acting."

I wouldn't argue against that. "Well... since I've found a place where I can belong, I thought that I'd try to be a little more expressive. I'm just so used to not showing my feelings that I'm… having a bit of trouble."

"You're having a bit of trouble?" Alec looked very confused.

I wasn't sure how to explain it. "I… dunno… I keep having this feeling that I shouldn't express myself. Like a gut instinct or something. It's really weird, because I know that back then, I never had that feeling before. And I've only felt this feeling after I ended up here."

The door opened and Lucas stepped out, his hair fixed up. Boney happily ran up to him and started licking his face.

"You're late," I said in an accusing tone. "When we get back to Tazmily Village, I'm gonna pound you even harder in mathematics."

"But we weren't gonna learn mathematics today," Lucas said.

"I'm just kidding. I was just joking about the time when you made me wait for you for hours in the square just so I could teach you mathematics."

"Anyway, how did the fire go out?"

"It rained last night."

"Did it?"

"Yeah. A little after you went to sleep. You snooze, you lose."

Lucas ignored my remark. "We're going to look for Kumatora."

"Okay."

"By the way… did something happen to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're kinda slumping over like as if you've hurt your back."

May as well just say it. "Oh, this? I just fell off a cliff earlier and landed full force on a tree branch that survived my weight."

Lucas looked shocked. "You fell off a cliff?!"

"It's not like I broke my back or anything."

"Sit still."

Lucas bent down behind me and started letting out some ball-shaped green lights. They went into my back, and I felt the pain fading. So this must be Lucas' healing PSI that Alec was talking about earlier. I'm starting to see how he was able to get through a forest fire without any major injuries.

"Alright, I'm done," Lucas said as he stood back up. "You should be feeling better now."

"Thanks," I said.

"I'm not sure if Kumatora went back to the mountains after the fire, but I'll go look real fast. If she's not there, we'll go back to the village and look somewhere else."

"Okay."

Boney rushed over to Lucas' side as he ran off to the other parts of the mountains. As I watched Boney run to catch up to Lucas, it occurred to me that he was always by Lucas' side whenever he was leaving the village. Maybe that's why Lucas didn't seem to mind that his father isn't home often. Boney probably keeps him company. But it still doesn't explain why he seemed lonely. Maybe having a pet isn't the same as having a human friend. Maybe that's why he still approached me, even though I tried to avoid engaging a conversation in the village.

I walked back into the cabin and I noticed a large map on the table that wasn't there before. I took a look at it and assumed it to be the map of an area on the Nowhere Islands. As I studied the map, I realized it was a map of Tazmily Village, Sunshine Forest, and the Oriander Mountains.

I stepped outside. "Mr. Alec! Is the map on the table drawn by Mr. Mapson?"

"It is," Alec replied.

Alright, next time I stop by Tazmily Village, I'm asking Mapson for a map. The one on the table looks well done. May as well memorize what the place where I'm staying looks like.

As I was about to turn around and get back inside, I saw two figures coming up the mountain. I squinted and recognized them to be Lucas and Boney.

"I didn't find her," Lucas said. "We gotta go look somewhere else."

I jumped off the porch. "Okay, then, let's go."

Lucas and Boney guided me through the burnt forest all the way back to Tazmily Village. On the way there, we started talking.

"I know you can attack and treat wounds with PSI, but is there anything else you can do with it?" I asked.

"You can summon shields or strengthen yourself," Lucas replied.

"Ah. But y'know, something's been bothering me for a while. When you found me on the beach, were you about to heal me using PSI?"

"Yes."

"Why did you change your mind then?"

"I didn't have enough energy to do it at that moment."

Huh, but he seemed full of energy to me during that time. "Not enough energy…?"

"When you use PSI, you use up this psychic energy in your body. I didn't have enough to heal you, which is why I took you to the Yado Inn instead."

"Ahh, I see. Why were you low on psychic energy at that moment? Were you out here before you found me?"

"Sort of. I was helping Lighter and Fuel carry some firewood into Tazmily Village."

I hate to say this, but… "Who?"

"Lighter and Fuel. They're the only ones who live deep in the forest. I went to go check on them earlier when the forest was on fire."

For some reason I can imagine him effortlessly carrying a large amount of firewood. "Were they okay?"

"Yeah. I helped them get out, and then went back to the mountains."

So he really did go from the mountains to Tazmily Village, and then back. In the middle of a forest fire and coming out with no major injuries. That's crazy and impressive at the same time.

"Did your dad know about you staying at the mountains for the night?" I asked.

"I'm sure he did," Lucas replied. "I asked Lighter to tell him that I'm staying at the mountains for the night."

"I know you came back for me, but really, you didn't have to do that. You… probably wanted to stay at home, did you?"

Lucas looked confused. "What? No, not at all! I wanted to stay with you."

At that moment, a boar charged from the nearby foliage towards Lucas from behind. Lucas casually swung his stick behind him, and it hit the boar squarely in the nose, sending it flying. He didn't seem to care about what he just did. I forced myself to keep a straight face as I watched the giant boar disappear into the distance.

"Um…" I started awkwardly. "Is there supposed to be some special way of restoring your psychic energy?"

"No," Lucas replied casually, as though nothing weird just happened. "You can restore your energy if you eat some magical food or if you get some rest."

Ahhhh, it might explain that one thing! "Is that why you sleep in all the time?"

Lucas looked like he wasn't sure how to answer my question. "Uhh… No?"

I saw movement on the ground near Lucas, and I looked to see it was a snake. I stopped cold as I stared at it, unable to move. Lucas noticed my petrified state, and he sent the snake flying with one swing of his stick.

"Are you alright?" Lucas asked.

I guess I looked a bit scared. "Y-yeah…"

"Are you sure? You look like you've seen a giant monster."

Okay, I guess I looked REALLY scared. "I… I'm fine…"

We continued walking together down the forest after Lucas waited for me to calm down.

"Are you afraid of snakes?" Lucas asked.

I don't think he'd laugh at me when I explain, so I decided to just say it. "Yes. Several years ago, I got bitten in the ankle by one and I didn't see it. I was lucky it wasn't poisonous or else I would've been dead."

As the images of the damned reptile blending in the foliage came back to me, as well as seeing it sink its fangs into my ankle, I felt myself shaking. The incident left me with a scar in my mind and on my ankle. Anyway, after I realized I was shaking, I noticed that Lucas was visibly concerned about it.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah… It's just not something I like to remember…" I muttered.

"I understand. But you didn't have any antidotes on you at that time?"

"No. If you were on the run from being killed, you wouldn't have any opportunities to find antidotes."

"If I was on the island you lived in, where would I find some?"

"Probably at some medical facility."

Lucas looked at me like as if I was speaking a foreign language. "Medical facility…?"

I guess something like that never existed on these islands. "I'll explain later. Anyway, what kind of PSI can you use?"

"PK Love, PK Flash, Lifeup, Healing, Refresh, Shield, PSI Shield, Counter, PSI Counter, Offense Up, and Defense Up."

My poor head. "What…?"

"You're new to this, so I didn't think you'd be able to catch all of that. I'll explain to you what my PSI skills are later. But I wonder what you'd be capable of using."

"Capable of using?"

"Not everyone learns the same PSI skills. For example, Kumatora can use PK Fire and I can't. Speaking of PK Fire, I'm certain that's one of the PSI attacks that you can use. You did set the forest on fire, after all."

Seems legit. "I-is that so?"

This time a caribou charged at Lucas, and again he sent it flying without looking. "I'm sure of it. Kumatora told me that usually the female PSI users learn more offensive PSI than defensive, and the male PSI users learn more defensive PSI than offensive. If you compare the PSI skills that Kumatora and I can use, you can tell that it's true."

"So that means I'm gonna be more offensive than defensive?" That would be nice for a change, considering how I always had to try to defend myself from anything that nature threw at me.

"Yes."

A weird yam thingy popped out of the ground in front of Lucas, causing Boney to charge into it to send it flying, which made me hesitate before I spoke. "Would you prefer to be offensive than defensive?"

"No, I like being defensive. I can help treat wounds that way."

I suppose he's okay with it because his strength makes up for his lack of offensive PSI. But this made me wonder if he actually likes helping people. It might explain why he was a bit insistent on helping me. On the other hand, being offensive would be awesome, because I'll finally have something to use to retaliate.

"Is there anything else I should know about PSI?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, there is one more thing," Lucas started. "Some PSI skills have different levels. They are α, β, γ, and Ω. For example, my PK Love has levels, but my PK Flash doesn't."

"I'm assuming the higher the level, the stronger?"

"Right. Of course, that means you use up more energy to use a higher level."

I can guess. "Is it just me, or are the animals more aggressive than before?"

"They're probably agitated because of the fire yesterday."

Crap. "Oops."

"It's not your fault."

"I still feel responsible though… You guys are on friendly terms with many of the animals, aren't you? I might've messed it up."

"Not really. Because of what happened four years ago, the animals in the forest have trouble trusting humans again. So now if you want to travel through the forest, you have to be prepared for the possibility of getting attacked. That's pretty much the reason why I'm the only one from the village who goes into the forest nowadays."

"Well… Why did the animals try to attack you and not me?"

Lucas went into a deep thought. I guess he didn't notice that I was never targeted.

"This is my guess, but maybe they're scared of you because you set the forest on fire," Lucas said after a moment of silence.

"But I thought the… what was it called again? Drago? Right. Anyway, I thought the Drago and its child were the only animals who saw me set the forest on fire," I said.

"Maybe word got spread through the forest."

"Maybe… Oh yeah, earlier when I fell off the cliff, the Drago saved me. Even though it saw me set the forest on fire. I wonder why it wasn't scared of me."

"I told the Dragos that you have problems controlling your PSI, and that you set the forest on fire by accident. So they don't hold it against you."

Maybe Dragos really are friendly creatures, like Lucas said. I just had trouble believing that when he told me that his mother got killed by one. But then again, Lucas said that something was done to it to make it angry. Maybe if I ask for some details, it might shed some light on the matter. But that would mean I'd have to be a bit insensitive about it.

"I'm sorry to bring this up, but…" I started somewhat nervously. "Yesterday you told me that your mom got killed by a Drago because something was done to it to make it angry. Can you specify what that something was?"

Lucas was silent for a few moments. "The Drago was turned into a chimera."

What did he just say?! "A chimera?"

"Yes."

So apparently he knows what a chimera is. And that's a terrifying thought, because that just proves to me that he's not as naïve as he looks. But for some reason I still think he is. Maybe it's because he trusted me very quickly and he never went to school. That aside, yeah, something like that would be enough to set any animal off into a killing rampage. Maybe I can take Lucas' word for it when he says that they're very friendly animals. But I should probably keep my distance just in case. It's not like I don't want to trust Lucas' words, but it's still an animal; you simply can't understand what goes on in its head.

"So uh…" I said nervously as I thought of a way to steer the conversation. "Are you able to hear the animals charging at you from behind?"

"Sometimes," Lucas replied. "I didn't hear a few of the ones that tried to attack me from behind earlier."

"Then how did you know they were coming?"

"You'd always tense up a little whenever you see an animal coming, so I knew that meant we're about to be attacked."

Huh. How come he can't hear animals sneaking up on him? He did say that he's the only one who goes into the forest now, and if he spent a long time exploring the forest, he should be able to sense incoming danger the way I can. But then again, he said that the animals grew hostile starting four years ago, and I doubt that he spent a lot of time in the forest every day. It probably wasn't enough time for him to train his senses to be on my level where I can sense things around me like it's second nature. I was forced to be able to do that since there were times when I had to spend several days in areas inhabited by aggressive animals in the past. Because of that, I analyze my surroundings out of habit, even if I'm in a safe area.

We were silent for a few moments before Lucas started talking again. "Do you think about your family sometimes?"

"No," I replied. "Why?"

"Well… Sometimes I think about Mom and Claus… I was wondering if you were the same with your family."

"I'm really sorry to say, but I'm not. I tried to forget about them."

Lucas looked shocked. "You tried to forget about them?"

"I don't want to remember them as my family. I don't even want to acknowledge them as family."

Lucas looked like he wasn't sure how to respond to my words. "Why…? Aren't they your family? Why would you want to forget them?"

I looked away bitterly. "I've told you before, they abandoned me once they found out I was a PSI user."

"Maybe… They were just surprised at that moment…"

I knew I shouldn't be mad, but I couldn't hide my spiteful tone. "Well, if they were indeed "just surprised at that moment", they should've been out looking for me after they got over it. But all this time they never even tried to look for me. A real family should be protecting their daughter after they find out that she's a PSI user. But did my family do that? No. They were more than happy to throw me out onto the streets to die."

At this, Lucas was stunned into silence. I suppose he's had a loving family, so he doesn't understand the kind of betrayal I went through. I admit I didn't want to believe that this was happening to me, but I knew that even if I deny it over and over, the stone-cold truth is that I've been abandoned. I thought there was no point in hoping that my family would want me back, so I tried to forget about them.

We ended up not talking as we made our way through the forest. I suppose he's trying to understand why I hate my family. Although every once in a while, he would glance at me with a look that I couldn't quite figure out. Was it… concern? No… If it was concern, what is he concerned about? That I hate my family? I already made it clear to him that I've been abandoned and that I'm never going back, so what is he even worried about? I stopped thinking about it after I couldn't think of anything else. Anyway, we reached the Cross Road.

"Alright, so we're back," I said, breaking the silence. "Where do we go next?"

Lucas motioned to me to follow him. I wonder if he's not talking because of what I said.

"Hey, um…" I started nervously. "Did I say something wrong back there?"

"No…" Lucas replied after a moment of silence. "You… didn't say anything wrong…"

Okay, he was unusually hesitant there. What I said definitely bothered him, but he's probably thinking of something that I wouldn't want to know. With that, I decided to just drop it and keep following him. We went into the Sunset Cemetery and Lucas ran up to a flat gravestone. He looked around cautiously before pushing it aside and revealing a secret passage underneath.

"Kumatora is probably somewhere in the east," Lucas said.

"The east?" I asked. "I thought you said the underpass in the east is blocked."

"I just remembered that there's another way to get there. And this is it."

If he told me this on the first day I landed here, I would've never known what my power was and that he could've helped me with it. With that, I thanked the lords that he didn't remember about this passage since day one.

"Don't tell anyone that this tunnel exists," Lucas said. "It's a secret that only Kumatora, Duster, Dad, Boney, and I know."

I'm not sure why he wants to hide this tunnel, but okay. "Alright. I won't tell anyone."

I began climbing down the ladder. When I got onto the ground not too far down, I noticed that Boney was also climbing down the ladder, causing me to stare stupidly at him. This was the first time I've ever seen a dog climbing. Climbing DOWN a ladder, no less, while most cats don't do that, and they're the typical house pets that can climb. There better not be some freaky twist that Boney is actually a cat pretending to be a dog.

"Woof? (Why are you looking at me like that?)" Boney barked.

"A-ah, nothing!" I said quickly.

Lucas waited until we were both down there, and then he climbed down while putting the gravestone back to cover up the entrance. He led us down the tunnel and soon we came across a large room. In it was a giant table. Lucas and Boney climbed onto it.

"Get on," Lucas said to me.

"On the table?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes, get on the coffee table."

I wasn't sure what he was playing at, but I got on anyway. Suddenly I heard the sound of a horse neighing, and then suddenly the coffee table's legs started moving on its own. I was so shocked that I fell off the table as it ran off. Fortunately, Lucas saw me fall, and the table suddenly stopped.

"Sorry," I muttered as I got up. "I didn't think it would move."

I climbed back onto the coffee table and it ran off. This time I made sure that I wouldn't fall. We sped through the tunnel, and I gotta say, it was a damn long one. At the end, it branched off to the left, and we found ourselves in a cavern. What bothered me was that it has roads. When we got out of the cavern, the area suddenly looked like a highway that was crappily tacked onto the middle of this random rocky area.

"What is this?" I asked.

"This area used to be the Highway," Lucas answered. "But now it's abandoned."

The table took us further into the Highway until we came across some construction trucks blocking the way for the table inside a tunnel. Lucas and Boney climbed off the table, and I followed suit. We passed the construction trucks and eventually emerged into a valley. The first thing I saw were these weird lifeforms that are armless, have a large nose, whiskers, and a small ribbon tied to the single strand of hair on their heads. What the hell are they supposed to be?

"Those are Mr. Saturn," Lucas said, as though he was reading my mind. "They are peculiar creatures, but they are very kind and capable."

"YoU cOmE bAcK," a Mr. Saturn standing near the tunnel said. "BoInG!"

Okay, they talk weird too.

"Did Kumatora come by here?" Lucas asked.

"PiNk-HaIrEd GiRl No CoMe HeRe," the Mr. Saturn replied.

Kumatora has pink hair? Now that's one hair color I haven't seen.

"The Mr. Saturn said that Kumatora didn't come here," Lucas said. "Let's go back."

We left the valley and got back onto the coffee table to get back to the Candrum Underpass.

"You said those things are very capable," I said as the coffee table sped back out the tunnel. "What do you mean by that?"

"They are good at building things," Lucas replied.

Hold up. "If they're good at building things, how do they do it if they don't have any arms?"

Lucas paused as if he never considered that before. "You know, that's a very good question…"

You don't know…? I thought you know what those things are! Oh, y'know what, forget it. I think it's for the best to not question things like that.

"I'm sorry, I actually don't know…" Lucas finally said after a moment of silence.

"No, it's fine, I don't need to know," I said quickly as he seemed somewhat regretful about not being able to tell me.

Lucas parked the coffee table back where we originally found it. He then went through a path that we didn't take, and it led us to another tunnel. Directly to the right was the rubble that sealed up the entrance from the Cross Road. To the left, I could see destroyed train tracks leading further into the tunnel.

"You used to have trains in the village too?" I asked.

"Yes," Lucas replied. "At the end of the tunnel is this Clayman Factory, but that got destroyed too. The other places out there are Murasaki Forest, Unknown Valley, and the Mole Cricket Hole to Snowcap Mountain."

We went through the tunnel. It was very long, just like the Candrum Underpass, though I wasn't sure if it was as long. After all, we sped through the Candrum Underpass by using a coffee table that neighs like a horse. Anyway, when we reached the end of the tunnel, I saw the ruined factory that Lucas was supposedly talking about. All that remained was a large pile of rubble.

"How did most of these things end up being destroyed anyway?" I asked.

"The Dragon did it," Lucas replied. "That's why many of the places that have a trace of technology are destroyed. But for some reason, even though it didn't, Osohe Castle was destroyed too."

We walked past the factory and into a forest, which I presumed to be the Mura-something Forest that Lucas mentioned. The weird thing about it is that all the leaves on the trees here are purple. I guess at this point I shouldn't be surprised that something like this exists on these islands, considering how this crazy psychic power that ruined most of my life is deemed normal by the inhabitants, technology that was once here was forcibly erased from a giant dragon like from out of a myth, a coffee table that acts as a steed exists, and there are these weird lifeforms that lack a pair of arms and still somehow manage to build things. Anyway, we took the left fork and came across a large pond. On the other side of it was a strange block with some drawings on it. Lucas went up to the block and put his hand on it. The block suddenly sank into the ground, making me realize that it's a door. We went inside and what caught my attention right away was a pink shell house. Near it were two monkeys, who looked up at us as we were entering the area. One was wearing a blue collar, and the other was wearing a pink bow.

"Salsa, did Kumatora come by here?" Lucas asked the monkey with the blue collar.

The monkey chattered, and for some reason, I didn't understand a single thing it said. Which is kinda weird, since I'm able to communicate with Boney.

Lucas looked disappointed. "Oh. Okay. Thanks anyway."

"So she never came by here?" I asked.

"No. But there's two more places to look."

Lucas and Boney led me back to the entrance to the forest, but this time we took the right fork. In front was a river and a waterfall, and to our left was a cliff that had some kind of ladder pinned into it. Near the river was a large hole. We went down the hole, and it turned out to be a huge tunnel. Full of mole crickets.

"Hey, you're back!" a mole cricket said.

It struck me odd that the mole cricket was speaking in perfect English. As in, my brain wasn't deciphering any animal noises like I usually do with Boney.

"Did Kumatora pass by here?" Lucas asked.

"You mean that punk girl with the pink hair?" the mole cricket asked.

"Yes."

"Yeah, she went to the mountain at the back."

"Thanks."

We went deeper into the tunnel, and when we were walking for about a minute or two, I realized that we're basically in a giant labyrinth. This made me feel uneasy.

"Are you sure you're going the right way?" I asked.

"Yep," Lucas replied.

"How do you know the way?"

"The mole crickets told me to turn at every turn."

Come to think of it, whenever there was a turn in the tunnel, we always took it. I hope that's actually the right way, though. After climbing a bunch of vines and tons of walking, we finally emerged at the side of a mountain… full of snow. I felt the cold wind biting through my skin, forcing me to shiver.

"This is Snowcap Mountain," Lucas said.

"You could've warned me that that's where we're headed beforehand!" I said, rather irritably.

Lucas gave me a confused look. "How come? Why are you shivering?"

I was getting very cold quickly. "I-i-i-i-it's fr-fr-freezing here!"

"Really? It's not that cold to me."

I noticed that Lucas wasn't shivering, unlike me. You'd figure that a kid who looks younger than me wearing shorts and a T-shirt would be shivering like mad in snow, but there he is, just standing there like as if the cold conditions don't exist. It made me wonder if he looked like that when he was in the forest fire I caused yesterday. I'm not sure if he understands that normal people wouldn't be able to withstand snowy weather if they don't bundle up beforehand, because he was giving me a look like as if it was weird that I couldn't.

"H-h-how a-are you o-okay with i-it b-being… th-this cold?!" I demanded.

Lucas shrugged. "I just am. When I was little, the snow used to be too cold for me. But last year, I was okay with it."

Okay, so he was like other normal people where they couldn't stand the cold. But he stated that last year was when he could. I wonder if it had to do with his PSI abilities.

Lucas pressed on, causing me to run to catch up with him. It was difficult for me to get around. I'm not used to walking around in the snow and I was so friggin cold. When we began going up this slope, I slipped and landed facefirst into the snow.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked.

"Y-yeah…" I muttered as I got up. "Go on… a-ahead without me. I… I won't be able to m-make it u-up there. I'm… not str-str-strong enough to climb th-this."

Lucas stopped and went into a deep thought for a moment as he looked around the mountain. He suddenly had his sights on something behind me. I looked back to see a sled.

"Boney can pull you up the mountain with that sled," Lucas suggested.

That's not a bad idea. "O… okay."

I got onto the sled as Boney began pulling on it as he walked behind Lucas. When they got to the steeper part of the slope where I fell, neither one of them slowed down as they continued up the mountain. It was like as if climbing the slope was nothing to them. This made me wonder what exactly they did to be this strong. I don't think I'd be able to imagine it. I mean, they sent a bunch of animals flying in the forest when they were defending themselves, they went in and out of a forest fire unharmed, and now they're climbing a snowy mountain like it's nothing. One thing's for sure is that I should never cross them. I'd probably be dead with one blow from Lucas' stick.

At the top of a mountain was a hot spring and another pink shell house. That makes four I've seen. I wonder where the other three are. When I saw the hot spring, I had to fight every urge to get in it. I was still freezing cold, and if I were to get in the hot spring now, I'd never want to leave. Boney stopped pulling the sled when we got in front of the shell house, so I got off and followed him and Lucas inside. It was very warm inside. The first thing I saw were a bunch of white rabbits. The next thing I saw was a pink-haired girl talking with a chubby dude wearing some weird suit. The two looked at us when they heard Lucas open the door.

"Oh, hey Lucas!" the girl greeted. "And Boney too!"

"Hi, Kumatora," Lucas greeted back. "Long time no see, Mr. Sheep."

"Sheep…?" I repeated skeptically. This has got to be the weirdest name I've ever heard yet.

"Hey there, kid," the man greeted. "Yes. My name is Sheep. Don't ask any more than that. Trying to seem mysterious is my hobby."

I got a closer look at Kumatora. She seems to be a bit older than me, and it didn't look like she cared much for her hair. In fact, from a distance, I would've mistaken her for a guy.

"So whatcha doin' here and who's that with ya?" Kumatora asked Lucas.

"This is Jenny," Lucas replied. "She's from Falo Island."

"There're more islands out there now?" Kumatora asked.

"Apparently," Lucas said. "I've never seen any new islands out there, but Jenny says that there are, and she's from one of them. She ended up here after getting caught in a storm and washing up on Cerulean Beach."

"Which reminds me, do you know anythin' about the Sunshine Forest fire?" Kumatora asked.

"Oh, um, about that…" I started nervously. "I… was the one who… set it on fire. But—"

"It was you?!" Kumatora interrupted, sounding pretty pissed.

"Kumatora, wait!" Lucas shouted.

Kumatora rushed at me, and with my instincts and the pissed look on her face, I knew what was coming next. I leaped away just as she was about to punch me. But she was fast, and she was about to connect another punch on me just as I was landing, but suddenly Lucas got in between us, causing her to stop.

"Kumatora, please hold on!" Lucas shouted. "Jenny didn't mean to do it! It was an accident! She couldn't control her PSI!"

"She's a PSI user who can't control her powers?" Kumatora asked. "Well, why didn'tcha say so in the first place?"

You're the one who tried to punch me before I could explain…

"You interrupted her before she could finish," Sheep said, who had been calmly watching the whole thing unfold like as if nothing bad was happening.

"My bad," Kumatora said sheepishly.

"Is it normal for her to act like this?" I asked in a low voice to Sheep.

"I don't know," Sheep replied. "This is the first time I've seen her act like this."

Then how could you watch her attack me so calmly?! Welp, that aside, it occurred to me that Lucas shouted at Kumatora right before she made any move to attack me. I guess that means he's known her for a long time since he knew she was going to try to punch me.

"Anyway, that's why we're here," Lucas explained. "She needs your help to control her PSI."

"Ah, okay," Kumatora said, understanding. "You shoulda gone to me earlier before settin' the forest on fire, though."

"I didn't know she was a PSI user until she set the forest on fire," Lucas said fairly. "She didn't tell me until then."

"Why'd you keep quiet about it?" Kumatora asked.

"Because I was scared that Lucas was gonna hate me," I replied.

Kumatora looked a bit surprised. "You thought Lucas was gonna hate you?"

"PSI users don't exist back where she's from," Lucas explained. "So she didn't know that there are other PSI users here, which is why she didn't say anything."

"I'm already marked for death at my home island, and I don't need it to happen again here," I muttered in a somewhat grudging tone.

"Well, we can't practice here, that's for sure," Kumatora remarked. "Why don't we go down to that ol' Highway? There's nothin' but earth there, so even if you did start another fire, then you won't be destroyin' as much."

"Thanks," I said. "Um, by the way, what is Mr. Sheep doing here?"

"The Magypsy of this home helped me out, even though I was a complete stranger," Sheep replied. "He was worried about his bunnies before he vanished, so I decided to take care of them. That way, we'll be even."

"Sometimes when I visit this place, I stop by here to talk to him for a little bit," Kumatora said. "We're totally cool now."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"We were once enemies," Lucas explained. "But the army that Mr. Sheep was associated with disappeared, so we're friends now."

If he was part of an army, that might explain why he's wearing that funky-looking suit. I saw a mask lying near the bed that looked like it would match the suit, and it looks like something a crazy army would wear.

"Okay, well, Kumatora, can you start teaching me now?" I asked.

"Sure, we can go now," Kumatora answered. "We gotta get off the mountain first, though."

Crap. I forgot that we're at the top of a snow-covered mountain.

"That white box is still back there," Sheep said.

"That's right! We can use the white box to go back to Tazmily Village!" Lucas said enthusiastically. "Let's go! Goodbye, Mr. Sheep!"

"Good luck." Sheep bade us farewell.

We went out the back door and went to the back of the peak. Right when we stepped out, I was already freezing again, but this time I made an effort to keep up with the rest. Eventually after trudging across the peak of the mountain, I saw the white box that Sheep spoke of.

"Oh, you mean a refrigerator," I said. "But I don't see how that is gonna help us get back to Tazmily Village."

Lucas, Kumatora, and Boney gave me a look like as if I just called the refrigerator by an alien name.

"Refrigerator?" Lucas repeated.

Oh. That's why they called it a white box.

"A refrigerator stores food and keeps it cold," I explained.

"But it wasn't cold when we were inside this one," Lucas said.

"Well, it runs by electricity, so you need to plug it in so it can run," I explained. Okay, now are we gonna hurry up and leave this place? I'm starting to shiver really hard here.

"What the hell're you talkin' about?" Kumatora demanded, getting irritated at hearing things that she doesn't know about.

I give up. "F-forget it. A-anyway… how're we s-supposed to g-get down to… Tazmily Village w-with th-this?"

"We go inside it," Lucas simply replied.

So what're we gonna do once we're inside? Slide down the mountain? I hope that's not what we're gonna do, because we're probably gonna die if we do that. Well, at least I might and they won't. Especially since refrigerators don't come with a seatbelt. Either way, I don't think I have a choice. I'd have to climb down the mountain while potentially freezing to death before I make it to the mole cricket hole, or I have to… uh, get inside the refrigerator and not know what's gonna happen next.

I ended up going inside the refrigerator with the three. Shortly after we closed the door, I felt vibrations around me like as if we were moving. The vibrations got rougher as I realized that we were going down the mountain at a fast speed. Yep, we were sliding down the mountain like I guessed. I couldn't think of any other logical thing you can do with a refrigerator to return to Tazmily Village. I thought it was gonna end with it slowing down to a stop, but I was wrong. Suddenly the ride got rough, and I felt that the refrigerator was flying through the air. I started freaking out on the inside, because I was not expecting us to launch into the air like that. After spending quite some time falling through the air, suddenly the refrigerator landed and stopped abruptly after rolling over several times. My head had slammed against the wall of the refrigerator when it landed, causing me to hold it in pain. When things settled down, Kumatora opened the door and everyone got out. I was last to come out, as I was dealing with the throbbing pain in the back of my head. I was still able to take in my surroundings to see that we landed in the middle of the Sunset Cemetery.

"Oww…" I groaned. "At least we're back…"

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked.

"I hit my head, but I'm fine," I replied. "How do you guys get out of this unharmed?"

Kumatora shrugged. "We just can. I'm not even sure how you hurt your head."

Are they so strong that they can't feel pain from sliding down a mountain inside a refrigerator? I can tell that they're strong, but I was never quite sure about their endurance. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised that Kumatora is that strong, since Lucas said that she's been out traveling all alone for a whole year, and I know from personal experience that being alone out in the wild can help your strength greatly, assuming you have the ability to adapt. Although I didn't get to build my arms. But it's quite hard to believe that Lucas lived in a small village his whole life since he's very strong. The last thing you'd expect is for this kid who lives in a village thrown out of history to be able to effortlessly waltz through a forest fire like it's nothing. At this point if I join them in doing something reckless again, I'm not gonna survive.

"Probably because I'm weak, unlike you guys," I said.

"You are?" Lucas asked in confusion. "You followed me around the entire island and you're not even out of breath."

"That's my only strong point. Other than that, I'm just like every normal human being."

"Alright, well, let's get started," Kumatora said. "Follow me."

"I'm going back home," Lucas said. "See you later."

Lucas headed towards the south into the village with his dog following closely behind him. Kumatora led me back to the Candrum Underpass. Along the way, she started talking to me.

"So how exactly did you set the Sunshine Forest on fire?" Kumatora asked.

"My PSI exploded out of my body," I replied.

Something flickered across Kumatora's face for a moment. "I see. How often does your PSI explode?"

"I dunno, it's always at random."

"And how long has this been happenin'?"

"Seven years."

Kumatora went into a deep thought and stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Alright, lemme take a look atcha," Kumatora said. "Gimme your hand."

I'm not even gonna ask why. I held out my hand as Kumatora took it and seemed to be looking into it. Not too long after she took my hand, she frowned.

"That's strange…" she muttered.

"What is?" I asked.

Kumatora didn't seem to hear me as she continued staring into my palm. After a few moments of awkward silence, she let go of my hand.

"It's nothing," she said suddenly. "Let's go."

We went further down Candrum Underpass, but this time we entered some elevator that went up. When the door opened, all I saw was a rocky area covered in sand.

"Uh, why are we at a desert?" I asked.

Kumatora then suddenly ran off.

"Hey, wait!" I shouted.

Not knowing what to do, I chased after her. Around the corner of a rocky wall, though, I lost sight of her. Geez, what the hell is she thinking, leaving me like that?! Is she trying to leave me here to die?! I stopped thinking about her motives right away as I realized that I've been abandoned in the middle of nowhere in a desert. And I can't find my way back to the Candrum Underpass.


	6. Crippled

**Chapter 6: Crippled**

My first thought was to find water. I know that the odds of finding it is very unlikely in a desert, but the desert heat is gonna leave me dry. So I wandered around, praying that I find an oasis, while three words kept repeating in my mind. Damn you, Kumatora.

I didn't walk very far when I saw a large pool of water with grass surrounding it. Neat, an oasis! I suppose this'll be the only time I'll ever be lucky. I began making my way there until I suddenly plummeted through the ground. Wonderful. A pitfall. And at the bottom of the hole was an antlion. I let out a yell of surprise as I tried to climb out of the hole. I knew it was coming behind me, no doubt going to hurt me. If only I had a gun…!

As I panicked and kept sliding back down, I felt the horrible sensation, and a moment later, I felt energy exploding out of me again. I shielded my eyes against the grains of sand that were sent flying around. When everything quieted down, I opened my eyes to see that the antlion was seemingly killed by my PSI exploding.

"So you really can't learn it…" a girl's voice remarked above me.

I looked up to see Kumatora peering down at me from above, and I felt my blood boil, but not from being in the desert heat. "Why the hell did you leave me?! I could've gotten killed!"

"Well, ya didn't." Kumatora was acting pretty casual about my earlier situation. "And calm down, we don't need you to explode a second time."

"Okay, but what the heck was that all about?!"

Kumatora glared at me as she spoke in a cold and commanding tone. "Calm. Down."

I took a deep breath. "Alright. Okay. What was that all about?"

Her glare relented. "You told me a few things about your PSI that seemed… off. I needed to see for myself, so I came here to try to throw ya into a stressful situation. Most of the time, uncontrolled PSI go off when you feel certain strong non-positive emotions like stress or anger. Let's go back to the underpass, it's hot out here."

I take it back now, she wasn't intending to leave me out to die. But still, she didn't have to do it in the freaking desert. I was helped out of the hole and we continued talking as Kumatora led me back to the Candrum Underpass.

"So… is there anything wrong with my PSI?" I asked.

"Yeah, quite a lot of things, actually," Kumatora replied. "When you said that you set the Sunshine Forest on fire, I assumed you accidentally used PK Fire. But if what I just saw is how you set it on fire, then that's definitely not PK Fire."

What? "It's… not?"

"Nope. And the other thing is that you told me that your PSI goes off at random. Are you absolutely sure it's random?"

"Actually, not really."

Kumatora stared at the ground and went into a deep thought as she continued to ask me questions. "What have you been doing for the past few years after you found out you were a PSI user?"

"I was on the run. The people on my island wanted me dead because I'm a witch, apparently."

"For seven years?"

"I don't remember every single episode I had of my PSI exploding, but yes… For seven years, I've been on the run."

"Hmm… So you were a lil' kid when you were first discovered as a PSI user… Do you remember what happened before you set the Sunshine Forest on fire?"

"Lucas was talking to me about a Dark Dragon and the End of the World. I didn't know anything about it beforehand."

"Did you feel very shocked or surprised?"

"Yeah… I did."

Kumatora turned to look at me. "That could've been the cause of your PSI explodin'. Anyway, one last thing. I checked roughly what kind of PSI you're capable of usin'."

"If I can't use PK Fire, then can I use other offensive PSI?"

"You know that the girls get mostly offensive PSI and the boys get mostly defensive PSI?"

"Yep, Lucas told me."

"Well, I regret to inform you, but you're a rare kind of PSI user. I sensed a lot of defensive PSI power coming from you. Not a single trace of offensive PSI. Apparently back then, female human PSI users who can't use offensive PSI were called cripples. And that's what you are."

She definitely doesn't look like she's regretting to inform me. "Y-you mean I can't use anything to attack?"

"Not at all. You're a cripple."

That sucks. I had high hopes of using some cool PSI to attack, but they've been shattered to pieces.

"Cripples tend to have a very hard time controlling their PSI once it awakens since they're learning the opposite of what they're supposed to use," Kumatora explained. "Since you'll be learnin' defensive PSI, Lucas would be a better teacher. I can take ya back to Tazmily Village."

"Okay, thanks."

We headed back and parted ways at the ladder to the Sunset Cemetery. I pushed the gravestone aside and carefully covered up the secret passage once I got up top, and then went straight to Lucas' house. I knocked on the door, and a moment later, Lucas answered it.

"Is something wrong?" Lucas asked. "You're back earlier than I expected."

"I'm a cripple," I explained. "So that means you're gonna be the one teaching me, not Kumatora."

"A cripple…?"

I guess she never told him. "I can't use any offensive PSI. Only defensive. Kumatora said that's not her strong point, so she told me to go to you."

He had an expression of regret for a few seconds. "Oh… But I'm feeling tired right now. Can we do it tomorrow?"

Yeah, he did go all over the archipelago to find Kumatora, so it's no big surprise that he's exhausted. Especially since he did take the time to go back to that temple with the tongue twister name. And he climbed up a snow-filled mountain while I was pulled up there by sled. At this point, I'm not that surprised that he even had the energy to go for that long. I'm used to moving around a lot, so I was definitely able to handle it. Well, except for the cold weather.

"Yeah, that's fine," I replied.

"Okay," Lucas said. "See you tomorrow."

I returned to my room at Yado Inn and sat down. I have to say that I'd personally prefer Lucas as a teacher. Kumatora ditching me in the desert without explanation gave me quite a scare, so who knows how extreme her teaching methods would be. But on the other hand, there is a possibility that Lucas doesn't have any skill in the teaching field. In that case, then Kumatora would be a better teacher, but she says that she's not good with defensive PSI. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes tomorrow…

* * *

"Hey! Lucas! Hey Lucas, wake up!"

Lucas groaned and stirred, but didn't wake up. So I raised my voice. "Come on. You silly sleepyhead, wake up!"

"Five more minutes, Jenny…" he muttered. "Wait, Jenny?!"

His eyes shot open as he looked over to see me standing at his bedside, his expression going from drowsy to surprised very quickly. "How did you get in here? The door should've been locked."

"It was locked," I confirmed.

He stopped looking surprised. "Then how did you get in?"

I looked back at the front door. "Boney broke the door."

Lucas wearily buried his face in his pillow. "Oh, no… Not the door…"

I tilted my head in confusion. "Why not the door?"

After a moment of silence, Lucas removed his face from his pillow and looked up at me. "Someone can see me like this if they happen to come by."

Yeah, his hair is a mess. "Sorry, sorry. I was coming down to your place and…"

* * *

 _I walked down the familiar path to the only house that has a sheep house in the village. I went up to the front door and started knocking on it. I waited for a bit. No answer. I tried again. Still no answer. I tried yet again. Yet still no answer._

 _Boney walked out of his doghouse. "Woof? (Are you looking for Lucas?)"_

 _"_ _Yeah," I replied. "Did he go outside somewhere?"_

 _"_ _*whimper* (No… He's most likely still sleeping if he's not answering.)"_

 _Of course. "Oh, I'll bet. Is there any other way of waking him up without going inside?"_

 _"_ _Woof woof… (No, sorry. You'll have to wait until he wakes up or when Dad comes back to unlock the door.)"_

 _I guess to him, Flint is his father. "Geez… I would wait for him if only if he isn't such a late riser, and we can't take the risk of me exploding in the village."_

 _Boney stood up and walked in front of me. "Woof woof woof. (Well, if it's that much of an emergency, I guess I'll have to help you out. Stand back.)"_

 _I don't like where this is going. "Wait, what're you—?!"_

 _I never got to finish my sentence. Boney suddenly lunged at me. Out of reflex, I jumped out of the way. The door was snapped off its hinges as the brown furry body slammed against it, and it hit the ground with a loud THUD. I stared at the busted door in shock. Apparently this canine is strong enough to break down a door by charging at it._

 _"_ _Woof? (Well? What are you waiting for?)" Boney asked, looking at me like I'm a slow animal._

 _"_ _A-ah… Y-yeah…" I said nervously._

 _As I stepped into the house, my thoughts went to the door. While I wasn't the one who broke it, it's still my fault that Boney broke it down. How am I gonna make up for that? I'm no good at carpentry. And the dog should've at least have the decency to give me time to move, because if I had a slower reaction, he would've hit me along with the door._

 _I was brought out of my thoughts when I looked up at Lucas' bed. How did he not wake up to that loud racket a minute ago? But now that I got a close look at him… I kinda feel tempted to just leave him be. He just looks so peaceful sleeping in that small double bed. No… I can't let anything hold me back._

* * *

"… And that's how I got in here. I don't think you have to worry too much about someone coincidentally coming by here, because your house is the only house on this peninsula."

Lucas yawned. "My house is on a what…?"

I guess he never knew the word. "A peninsula. A strip of land extending from the mainland that is surrounded by a body of water on three sides. That said, nobody would come down here unless they have business with you or your dad. Also, it's kinda impressive you didn't hear the door hitting the ground."

"Oh… But Boney didn't have to break down the door."

"Hey, he did it on his own, I didn't even ask him to. Can we go now or now's a bad time?"

"It's fine. I can teach you now."

I began to feel amused. "You should go and get changed. I'll meet you at the Sunset Cemetery. I'm sure you don't wanna go out and teach me looking like this. Especially not with your hair like that."

Lucas' cheeks turned red as he looked away. "I-I'll go get changed… J-just… go on ahead."

I left the house and sat down on top of a random tombstone in the Sunset Cemetery. I'll finally get rid of the side of PSI I hate so much. Even though I'm a cripple.

Lucas eventually showed up, dressed. "Sorry for making you wait."

"You don't have to apologize," I said. "I was the one who woke you up. Anyway, we should practice at the Highway. It's one place where I'm least likely to cause major damage in the possible scenario that I lose control again."

"Yep."

We went to the Highway, and Lucas led me to a spacious area that was mostly flat and away from the tunnels.

"Kumatora asked you about your PSI exploding, didn't she?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, she did," I replied. "She told me that it's not PK Fire."

Lucas went into a deep thought for a moment. "How do you feel before it explodes?"

"Well… I feel a lot of power going through my entire body. And then it gets released all at once."

"That almost sounds like you're trying to use a Shield."

"Shield?"

"PSI is able to summon shields to protect yourself. It can come in the form of Shield, PSI Shield, Counter, and PSI Counter. Shield is supposed to reduce the damage done by physical attacks. PSI Shield reduces damage done by PSI. Counter and PSI Counter do the same thing as Shield and PSI Shield, but they also reflect the damage back."

"So are you able to tell which one I actually used?"

"No, I don't. We can find out after you figure out how to summon a Shield. They are casted the same way, after all. But from the looks of it, it seems like you release too much energy, which is why it comes out as an explosion."

"O-oh…"

We spent the next few hours with Lucas trying to teach me how to control casting anything that's similar to Shield. Yeah, I exploded a couple of times, but nothing got set on fire. We weren't near anything flammable after all. But I couldn't get it down on the first day. Before the day ended, I was gonna uphold my promise of fixing the door, but Lucas declined my offer for help. Which means he's cleaning up after my mess. Way to guilt trip me and make me feel like the villain, even though I'm pretty much one back on Falo Island. Since only the hinges were broken off of the door, Lucas and his father were able to fix it very quickly. Anyways, we spent the next few days trying. I do have to commend him for being patient with me and not getting mad at me once for not mastering the PSI yet. I would get up early in the morning and ask Boney to help me get into Flint's house and wake Lucas up to get him going. No, I didn't have him break the door again.

* * *

"Heyyyyyyy, let's go!" I said on the second morning as I stood over a sleeping Lucas.

Lucas groaned and turned away from me. "Did Boney break the door again…?"

"Nope. I told him to bust the doorknob off!"

"Why the doorknob?!" Lucas sounded slightly irritated.

I wonder if he's cranky right now because some part of his house got broken or that I was interrupting his sleep. "At least it wasn't the door! Why are you complaining about the doorknob of all things when yesterday the door was broken, you didn't really complain about it?!"

Lucas faced me and opened his eyes. "Because somebody tore off our doorknob four years ago and we had to get a new one."

"What's the difference between that and fixing a door?"

"It's hard to come across materials for a doorknob."

Good point, they are made from a metal after all. "Is it necessary to make a new doorknob every time one gets torn off, though?"

"Well, er… No… That last time, it was because our doorknob disappeared so we had to make a new one."

That makes sense. "So this shouldn't be a problem as long as you can put it back, right? I have the doorknob right here."

"I… guess it wouldn't be that much of a problem, but can you not have Boney do that again?"

No. "Maybe. Anyways, I'll wait for you at the cemetery."

Sorry Lucas, I know you love your sleep, but I can't take the risk of exploding in the village. Even though I know the cause of why my PSI explodes, I have to eliminate every possibility of it happening. We were lucky enough that I exploded in the forest and not the village, but if I were to explode in the village, I'll never be able to face anyone again. After that's all out of the way, I'll leave you alone.

* * *

On the fourth day, I think he got fed up with me having Boney bully the doorknob, because the door was unlocked when I tried to get in. Though I do have to wonder why his door is locked in the first place if everyone trusts each other to not commit burglary. Maybe Lucas is really that sensitive about his hair, given that he was more concerned about it rather than his own life when he came out of the Sunshine Forest while it was burning down. But then again, it would make sense if a forest fire really is nothing to him. Anyway, when I woke him up, he simply told me to wait at the cemetery and wasn't annoyed at me. I guess the reason why he was irritated the other times was because some part of his house was broken off each time.

"Try it one more time," Lucas said when we got to our training spot.

I then channeled all the energy in my body and lightly released it. A pink barrier formed around me.

"That looks like a PSI Shield," Lucas remarked. "Let me test to make sure. It might hurt a little bit, but you can deal with it, right?"

I've gotten used to getting hurt, so this should be fine. "It's fine. Throw whatever you need to at me."

Lucas then shot out a PK Love at me as I braced myself, and when the hexagons made contact with my shield, it simply vanished. He then looked confused.

"Is it supposed to do that?" I asked.

"No…" Lucas replied uncertainly. "I've never seen a PSI Shield that can completely block a PSI attack. I should probably ask Kumatora about it."

"So that means I did it?"

"I… guess… L-let's just move on. I'll leave a letter that Kumatora can find to ask her. I don't wanna go around the islands looking for her again. Usually, you would know the name of the PSI you used once you're able to use it. What comes to mind when you use your PSI Shield?"

"PSI Shield α."

This made Lucas even more confused. "α? I can use that, but it only weakens PSI. I wonder why yours is different… Stand still for a second."

Lucas launched another PK Love attack, and again the shield nullified it. He tried one more time, but this time after the magical hexagons vanished, the shield vanished as well.

"Hmm… It seems like it has three layers, just like my PSI Shield," he remarked. "Jenny, can you use it one more time?"

I complied and put up another shield. Lucas shot another PK Love at it.

"Use it again," he said.

I used PSI Shield α again. I wasn't sure what Lucas was trying to do, but it seems like he's trying to figure something out. I didn't bother to ask, because it's probably something I won't understand. Anyway, he shot three more PK Love attacks, and the shield stayed. This made him very confused.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"This is strange…" Lucas muttered. "Usually when a PSI Shield has been damaged, you can use it again to repair it, because it has up to three layers. I wanted to see if yours did the same, but it seems like it added more than three layers."

Before he said anything else, he shot two more PK Love attacks, and this time the shield disappeared.

"Your PSI Shield can go above three layers…" Lucas remarked.

"So that's a good thing," I said.

"On top of that, it completely blocks PSI."

I suppose this skill would keep me safe from other PSI users, but there aren't any aside from me, Lucas, and Kumatora. I think.

"Are there any other PSI users you know of aside from you, me, and Kumatora?" I asked.

"There used to be a lot of PSI users on these islands," Lucas replied. "But they're all gone. So… it's just me and Kumatora."

So I guess in the long run, I won't be using this. The only time I'd ever see myself using it is if I were to try to avoid Kumatora's wrath if she were to piss out on me. I know she never actually hurt me, but her attitude just gives me the feeling that she is the kind to lash out at others.

"We'll have another go at this some other time," Lucas said. "If you're still exploding, then that means you probably have another Shield technique that you can use. Let me know if you feel like exploding."

"Alright," I said.

We returned to Tazmily Village and I stayed in my room to rest for a little bit. After that, I went back outside and returned to where I was training. I can't tell for sure whether I still have bits of uncontrolled PSI in me, so I'll have to test to make sure.

Kumatora said that cripples have a harder time controlling their PSI, especially when they feel a certain non-positive strong emotion like stress or anger. Let's see… What would make me extremely angry…? Oh wait, duh. I began to remember that time back on Falo Island before I was taken to that park when that happened all because those damned…

I felt the sensation again. Seems like there's still something else inside of me. I exploded as usual, but the difference this time around is that it's a weaker explosion. Like the explosion size was halved. Is it another Shield of some sort? Well, duh. Lucas did say that the explosion happens because I'm releasing too much energy out of stress. If it's still an explosion, then that means I still have yet to learn a Shield. But the question is, is it another level of a PSI Shield or maybe even a Shield, a Counter, or a PSI Counter? I should ask him about the difference between casting those four.

With that said, I returned to Tazmily Village and went straight to his house. It was sunset by the time I got there. Lucas answered the door when I knocked.

"Hey, Jenny," Lucas greeted. "Do you need something?"

"I have a question," I started. "What's the difference between casting a Shield, a PSI Shield, a Counter, and a PSI Counter?"

"For PSI Counter, you just have to cast more starting energy than a PSI Shield. Do you feel that the energy is more focused in the top half of your body when you cast PSI Shield?"

"Yeah."

"The energy is focused towards the bottom half when you cast Shield. And just like PSI Counter with PSI Shield, Counter needs more starting energy than Shield."

You know, when I felt the explosion from earlier, it was focused towards the bottom half of my body. So that means I'll be learning how to use Shield. Now that I know that, I'll just go off to the Highway alone and try to control it myself. I don't have to bother Lucas with this anymore.

"I see," I said. "Well, thanks for telling me."

"No problem," Lucas said.

"I'll be going now."

I waited until the next day to go to the Highway and practice. I would spend a lot of time there until I ran out of psychic energy to attempt casting Shield. Afterwards, I would go back to Tazmily Village and stay in my room. I know it's not really healthy to stay indoors all the time, but I'm still reeling from the fact that I no longer have to sleep on a rock or under a tree.

* * *

Three days after I asked Lucas that question, I was in my room late in the afternoon when I heard somebody knocking at my door. I stood up from my chair and opened the door to see Lucas.

"Oh, what's up?" I asked.

"Have you felt like exploding lately?" Lucas asked.

Oh, right, that. "Not really. Although right after I learned how to cast PSI Shield, I found out that there was another Shield I could use. So I've been practicing on it. I'm still not in control of it, though."

"You've been going to the Highway by yourself?"

"Yeah. Were you supposed to tell me something?"

Lucas seemed relieved for a moment. "No. It's just that I've noticed that I haven't been seeing you for the past few days. Whenever I asked around, everyone would say that they saw you outside but they didn't know where you went. I didn't want to think that something happened to you, since the islands are very peaceful, but there's still a chance that something could happen. Earlier when I asked Lisa, Brenda, and Jill, they said they saw you go into the cemetery. When I asked Nippolyte, he said he saw you there, but the next minute, you disappeared. I thought you went down the secret passage so I came looking for you. But you weren't at the Highway, so I decided to check your room."

So he was worried about me. "Come in. And I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

Lucas stepped into the room. "I believe you on that, but are you sure you're going to be okay with trying to control Shield by yourself?"

I shut the door. "I already know the basics to casting a Shield-like PSI, so there shouldn't be any more problems, right?"

Lucas sat down on one of the chairs in the room. "Kumatora and I've never dealt with cripples before, so I think I should watch you just to make sure nothing strange happens."

I sat down on my bed. "Wellllllll… I'd like to get started as early as possible in the morning, but… you… don't like getting up early. I know you were annoyed each time I woke you up, so I decided to leave you alone and figure this out myself."

"No, I'm not annoyed about that."

At this point I'm not sure whether he's just trying to be nice or if he really is trying to brush it off, because I can tell that he was still annoyed. "It's alright. You don't have to hide it."

He gave me an unusually serious look. "It's too risky to let you try to control it yourself. I'll put up with getting up early to make sure that nothing bad happens to you."

Okay, so he kinda admits that he does get annoyed with me waking him. I'm not sure whether he's just worried about me or the possible destruction of the village. But then again, I'm gonna be out there, so the village will be safe. So I guess that means he's worried about something happening to me? I know we finally have a mutual understanding of one another, but is he really that interested in me? Oh well, I'll think about this later. For now, I really shouldn't be inconveniencing him with my problems.

"Yeah, well…" I started. "I don't wanna inconvenience you. I'll just wait until the afternoon to go out there so I can take you along without any problems. Just head down there when you're up and ready and I won't start until you get here."

"Is that okay?" Lucas didn't seem sure about this.

"Yeah. I'm used to being alone, so it's totally normal for me."

Something flickered across Lucas' expression for a split second. "Okay."

I tried to figure out what emotion I briefly saw on his face. I know for sure it's a negative emotion, but I can't put my finger on which. It's kinda hard to tell with him, since he doesn't express his feelings on a normal basis. Only when he's talking to someone he would be more expressive, but it's usually only for a few seconds. But I've never really seen him look happy. Okay, he did express some form of enthusiasm whenever I agreed to teach him something or back when he spoke with Sheep, but I feel like he doesn't actually feel happy deep inside. Although I can't really explain why I believe that. Perhaps it's because he lost two of his family members?

"Do you not want me to be out there by myself?" I asked.

Lucas fidgeted. "No, I don't want you to be out there by yourself."

At least he's telling the truth on that part. "Is there a reason? Do you not trust me enough for me to be out there?"

Lucas seemed a bit nervous. "Well, er, no, I do trust you…"

Forget it. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me. I'll just meet you at the Highway tomorrow."

"O-okay."

I don't think he has any bad intentions, but I feel like the reason might be something very complicated that he doesn't wanna talk about. I can't hazard any guesses right now, but maybe I'll figure it out when I spend more time with him.

* * *

 **I know that at no point in the game does Boney call Flint "Dad" (or at least I've never seen anything of the sort even after I explored the game as much as I could). But he refers Flint as that in the unused lines, so I thought I should go with that when he's addressing Flint.**


End file.
